Red Bull face ‘a civil war’ following the controversial collision between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel in Turkey, according to F1 commentator Martin Brundle.
The pair collided while fighting for the lead in Istanbul, with Vettel forced to retire and Webber dropping back to third place – handing McLaren a 1-2 finish and what could prove to be a vital maximum score in the constructors’ championship.
The blame game started as soon as Vettel exited his car, with the German using the commonly known symbol for ‘mad’ as he walked away from his damaged machine, while Red Bull chiefs Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have suggested that Webber should have allowed his team-mate through.
However, Brundle – who called the incident as Vettel’s fault during the BBC’s coverage of the race – again insisted that the blame couldn’t be placed at Webber’s door.
“Vettel was into the slipsteam of his team-mate heading at 200mph towards the obvious overtaking point of the turn 12 hairpin,” he wrote in his latest BBC blog. “Webber instinctively defended and left an F1 car-sized gap at the side of the road on the dirty, unused part of the track. Vettel chose to take it and moved alongside and then slightly ahead.
“At this point the German either realised he would never stop in time, or he wanted to muscle and intimidate Webber across the road to ensure a better line into the hairpin. It was a deliberate move of the wheel from Vettel, not a slide under braking. Unsurprisingly, Webber never moved, contact was made, Vettel was out of the race and Webber’s car was damaged.
“The problem Red Bull have is that it seems clear they favour their protege Vettel to take the title over Webber, who is 11 years older. They can’t claim to treat both drivers equally and then apparently favour one because the whole situation will implode between the two sides of the garage.
“Red Bull have assembled a tremendous group of people who have demonstrated the experience, dedication, and competitive energy to rise up and match the finest teams such as Ferrari and McLaren, who have decades of history and experience. They have worked together to fight the enemy but now they face a civil war just when they are on the cusp of victory.”