Webber keen to remain at Red Bull
Friday 22nd July 2011
Mark Webber has no doubts he wants to remain at Red Bull next year despite his recent fallout with team principal Christian Horner.
The latest team orders saga that unfolded at the British Grand Prix might have made Webber think twice about remaining at a marque that again appeared to show bias towards Sebastian Vettel.
Closing in on Vettel over the closing laps at Silverstone as he was clearly faster than the world champion at that stage, Webber chose to ignore instructions from his race engineer to hold his position.
An attempted pass on Vettel on the penultimate lap in a bid to take second place forced Horner onto the radio, telling the Australian to "maintain the gap".
Clear-the-air talks followed during which both men aired their point of view, agreeing to disagree as Webber wanted to fight to the end, whilst Horner was eager to avoid a potential crash.
Whichever view is taken, Webber's decision to act for himself and not for the good of the team could have been detrimental to his future.
Any fears appear to have been allayed as billionaire team owner Dietrich Mateschitz confirmed a couple of days after the race that "Mark will re-sign for us".
No commitment has yet been made by either side, but asked on Thursday if he wanted to remain with the team next season, Webber replied: "I'd say the answer to that is yes.
"What happened at Silverstone has zero impact on the contract as we have been talking for a while now.
"I think I could have been faster with my decision up until now, but I haven't been.
"I should still be driving next year, and I don't just mean the road car to get the groceries, but I am relaxed at the moment.
"I am talking to the team and in a good position, performing very, very well, with the team doing a good job as well, so no rush. I will let you know when we make a decision."
Asked, though, whether he had sought assurances from Horner as to his position within the team, Webber smiled before responding: "Not a bad question."
It was clear that was part of his "chat" with Horner in the post-race debrief, and there can be no guarantees he will not do the same again.
"He guaranteed me it would have been the same situation the other way around, if Seb was closing in on me, he would have still shut the race down," said the 34-year-old.
"It is not often you are closing in over the last few laps. That was the awkward one I think. Up until then we will be racing."
Horner's decision, however, contradicts his remarks in the wake of last season's German Grand Prix at Hockenheim during which Ferrari employed team orders - banned at the time - to ensure Fernando Alonso took the chequered flag ahead of Felipe Massa.
In the wake of that particular furore, Horner said: "The philosophy of Red Bull Racing is to allow both drivers to race."
Reflecting on that, Webber said: "That is why I made the decision at the time.
"I wasn't thinking about Hockenheim. I was thinking about trying to pass Sebastian as he was not having the best stint and I was having a reasonable one.
"Clearly it is a question you need to ask him, see how he feels about it now.
"But nothing really changes for me. I am comfortable with what I did at Silverstone."
Another question for Horner is why he did not tell Vettel to allow Webber through given their comparative pace, and as they were doing nothing more than fighting over three points.
It is something that has also crossed Webber's mind, adding: "At a different point of the GP it would have been a no-brainer.
"I know the answer to that question, but you won't get it today."
For his part, ahead of his home race this week, Vettel suggested if the boot was on the other foot, and he was under orders, he might also not be accommodating.
"It always depends on the situation in the race," said Vettel.
"In the last race, as a team there was nothing for us to gain.
"As Mark said, he wanted to race, to improve that one position. I didn't want to let him by. I tried to defend.
"Of course, on one hand you want to race for yourself and on the other you try your best for the team."
Credit: ESPN STAR (www.espnstar.com)
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