Red Bull Racing made a right royal mess of the PR situation in Istanbul a few weeks ago when Sebastian Vettel collided with Mark Webber. This gave rise to the suggestion that the team was favouring the German over the Australian. The controversy dissipated only when it was announced that Webber would be staying on for another year – although Mark had actually signed his new contract on the night before the Grand Prix. The suspicion remained that the Austrian-owned team was favouring Vettel. Thus it was not a very smart move on Saturday at Silverstone to take the new front wing from Mark Webber’s car and give it to Vettel for the qualifying session. The two men started the day with two new identical front wings, but in the morning Vettel’s fell off the car when there was a problem with the fixation points. It was decided that Sebastian should be given Mark’s wing, because he was ahead in the World Championship.
“There was only one component,” said team principal Christian Horner. ” A team is bigger than one individual and Sebastian is leading the World Championship, so he was given the one remaining new wing. It was a tough decision but sometimes I have to make difficult decisions.”
A stony-faced Webber said that the team was happy with the 1-2 result, but was clearly not happy.
The whole thing leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth and while Horner tried to argue that the wing did not make much of a difference, there was no indication that the team would have considered the idea of taking the new wing away from Vettel to make sure that they two men had identical cars. This suggested that the team believes the new wing is better. Given that the two men were seven-tenths clear of the opposition it might have been wiser to let the two men use the older wings
The risk, of course, is that the new wing might fall off Vettel’s car tomorrow… in which case the team will have even more egg on its face.
joeblogsf1 
Never seen such blatant favoritism
me and my friends boycott Redbull drinks and will cease to support the team any further…
I hope Vettel learns the lesson tomorrow in the race
thumbs down RBR
What is sad about this is that if Seb wins this year it will be tainted in many peoples eyes by these issues.
You can argue that we are being deprived of one of the best battles between teammates in recent years.
Really really disappointed with Red Bull. I’ll admit to bias as an Australian, but I think even objectively most people would agree that this is not the move of a team that is treating both drivers equally.
I feel very sure that if the situation were reversed as far as the world championship points go, that the new wing would not have been transferred to Mark’s car.
Joe, can you confirm whether Webber was using or planning to use the new-spec wing in qualifying or whether it was just sitting around on his side of the garage?
They were running different wings in practice which suggests Vettel was assigned the new kit before the weekend even started. However if they literally took it off of Webber’s car (and not just from his side of the garage), that’s more than a bit harsh…
You know something, it is not nice to be spiteful, but I really hope Vettel’s wing falls off. What an appalling situation. They clearly favour Vettel over Webber due to his age and his being the product of their driver programme. But I think Webber was mega around Silverstone and had a chance of pole if they were given equal cars. Not fair at all.
Of all the drivers, I would like Vettel to win the least this year.
Well i’m glad Red Bull gives somebody wings! Webber can be very pleased with his effort in Q3, with his old wing and faulty chassis. Why don’t Red Bull just tie one of his hands behind his back!
Horner continues to prove that you don’t actually have to be smart to manage an F1 team. I seriously hope the new wing falls off and Vettel DNFs.
I’m also sick of his finger in the air when he gets pole. Tho this time perhaps he was saying “there’s only 1 new wing”? Twat.
I feel a lot can be read into Mark Webber’s comment: ‘The team is happy with the result.’
Somehow, I get the feeling that by that, he does not mean ‘Red Bull is happy with the one-two.’
I can understand a team giving new parts to a championship leader if they only had one set. But taking parts off one car to put one another is quite different, especially at the midway stage of the season when the points gap is quite small.
I hope Webber trounces Vettel tomorrow.
I’m sure that Vettel is the team’s golden boy and why wouldn’t he be? He’s young with many years of racing in front of him, he’s of the correct nationality for the team is and more marketable for Red Bull than an Australian who is moving towards the end of his career. But I just wish Red Bull would own up to it rather than fannying about trying to cover it up.
It was interesting to note that Christian Horner, when talking to Jake on the BBC about the decision to give the wing to Vettel, repeatedly used the phrase “the left side of the garage” instead of saying “Sebastian” as if by not using his name we wouldn’t know who he was talking about…!
“it might have been wiser to let the two men use the older wings”
–
What an idiotic suggestion, that a racing team will leave a faster component in the pits. This is a competition, not a fairness parade.
The objective is to win the World Championships, so of course you give it to Vettel, the faster in Silverstone and the points leader of the pair. Then the team works hard to make a new wing for MW for Hockenheim. I can’t stand the smiley little German, Mark’s a great guy, but what an idiotic suggestion that you don’t give the 1 faster bit to the faster guy and points leader!
Webber will suck it up, and if he doesn’t like it he can always break his contract and drive a Force India or something.
But someone involved in racing for a long time suggesting a racing team leaves a faster bit in the pits? Stupid mate.
Not an easy decision to make but I think it was correct. The team will not know exactly how big their advantage will be. They would have had massive egg on their face if they had denied Vettel the use of a wing he had a clear preference for. We don’t know if Webber had the same preference early on. If there is only one component to go around it is ok IMO for the team to maximize their chances.
Conspiracy theory of course, but I’m guessing that Red Bulls current attempts to get Vettel on a long term contract gave them little choice in this. If he wasn’t favoured here, he might ask for awkward terms in his contract.
i hope that Vettel wing fall off and RedBull learn to make tings right and stop making Webber the pilot nº1b.
Shame on Horner et al. If the situation were reversed does anyone believe they would have taken the wing off Vettel’s and given it to Mark?
Aweful thing to say but I kinda hope it does fall off (and that he’s not hurt of course). I’m sick of the BS from red bull. They messed up Mark in Turkey quali, blamed him for the race incident and now this?!
Webber also clearly wanted another lap in quali. Not sure whose fault it is that he didn’t get it
Mark, will just have to win…..
Aaaaaaaaaah! One day it’s about the Germans and the next it’s about the French! Who’s next on your agenda?
A wing does not belong to a driver. It belongs to the team. They decide what is best for the team. Please cite an example that Webber did not get a single upgrade part first when he was ahead! I will listen carefully.
The wing falling off would be justice.
Lovely headline Joe. Says it all.
This is quite something for such a supposedly media/PR savy organisation.
Vettel the new blood/Webber the old hand/Newey the key/Reb Bull the privateer/Renault not as bad an engine as they make out/underdog come good …… All made me fan but it’s turning sour.
With ferrari & Schumi at least we knew the score and so did the other driver (despite Rubens whinging) but Red Bull are turning Vettel and themselves into hate figures by their gaffes. On 2nd thoughts, what a weird parallel!!!!!!!!!!
Seems like a crazy decision given the championship lead is hardly overwhelming. I would have thought the logical thing was to give them both one each at the start of the day and if one driver damages one then tough luck on him. The only reason for Webber not to run the new wing would be if there was the possibility of his nose dropping off like Vettel’s
Funny how the quote from Horner runs along the line:
“Unfortunately sometimes I have to make a difficult decision – and with only one wing available and the facts to hand that we had, and based on championship position – which was the criteria that we used – that wing went to Sebastian today.”
And yet, when Webber was leading the world championship in Turkey, there was no suggestion that Vettel should stay behind for the benefit of the “team”.
Wow. It’s like Red Bull just don’t get it. Sponsoring a race team is supposed to improve your image, not make you look like a pack of jerks. I can’t imagine a worse way to treat Webber in the face of favoritism clams. Amazing.
Incidentally, I love this blog.
Joe,
I sure hope so! RBR getting more egg on their faces, that is.
Your page is getting better and better, thanks for that
Here we go again….. flawed decision making by the Red Baron… ops Bull team! As you say Joe, why not give both drivers the old wing to ensure no one thinks Vettel is being favoured. They still would have locked out the front row. I hope the new wing breaks again on Vettals car tomorrow!
I had a sneaking suspicion the double hole wing was the new one…during qualifying BBC commentary said James Allen was going to find out which is new + I thought no need really. It’s quite obvious Mark’s got the old one…
The only real problem is that RBR keep saying they treat drivers equally.
They have to come out and say that Vettel is #1, and Webber is #2.
We all know it, and its insulting our intelligence to suggest otherwise.
I dont blame Vettel, he wants whats best for him.
The same goes for Mark.
Really all this proves what a tough, fighting, spirited bastard Mark Webber is.
If he can keep his cool under pressure, which has been his biggest issue on the track, then he will be able to beat Seb, Horner, Marko with ease.
Either way, this is great for F1 overall.
Its a drama first, a sport second. 😉
The wing fell off Vettel’s car. Therefore Vettel should not have had the new wing. If the wing fell off Webber’s car, then same deal – tough luck for Webber.
But, RBR have given Webber’s wing to Vettel. A real disgrace.
Thanks Joe for your spot on blogsite it’s always a joy to read. I am gutted by the continuing dicking around rbr keep trotting out,especially as a webber fan (and a vettel skeptic!) and as much as I dislike horner I’d asume the puppet masters behind the scene are pulling the strings again…. Frost em all tonight mark and show them your class
i think there are 2 key points here:
1) vettel is obviously favoured by the senior management; and
2) red bull are in the “any publicity is good publicity” camp of brands, so they would not consider the negative fallback from this as a deterrent of any sort, the way you and i would, or mclaren for that matter
these 2 points combined with vettel’s sense of self-entitlement (look how chill and blase’ he looked at the press conference, not to mention his poor attempts to make comedy which send chills down my spine with this new information) mean there is no opposition from him to this act of favouritism.
he would have shown a big moral character if he put his hand up and said “no, that’s not right, mark already has my old chassis so it is not fair to take away his new front wing as well”. he may have said this behind closed doors, i do not know, but it certainly did not appear that way in his body language, or mark’s, nor in his comments made in the press conference and questions from the floor. his poor attempt at humour only confirms my suspicion (look at his repsonse to byron young’s direct question). i also wonder how much input helmut had in this management decision…
coming away from this i suspect vettel feels that mark’s car is there to be used as his spare parts bin…and the team are certainly not doing anything overtly to counter this perception….
I hope the wing goes off today.
Sounds like a lot of ” RED” BULL to me. Different if Vettel was 100 points ahead of WEBBER with two races to run, but, not at this stage of the season.
I see that one of the evening TV shows here in Australia is reporting on plans to ban ” Energy Drinks”…..More to follow
I didn’t know that Webber had signed his new deal _before_ the Turkish GP — the team strongly gave the impression that the deal had been done afterwards and represented a washing-away of the sins of the past…
That’s awkward — Webber is now basically not only a man with nothing to lose, but a man stuck in a team which only wants him to be the other fellow’s stooge. Poor Mark — he’s on a high, two wins in eight days, signs a new contract with the top team, and then it immediately all goes to hell.
Honestly, this has me hoping that Vettel fails. If he wins the WC I wont be cheering. My heart just aches for Mark.
I am new to your website / blog and find your comments unbiased, insightful and extremely pertinent. I will most certainly be following your comments in future. Please keep up the good work. I will be in Singapore for the GP and i would love to catch up.
Red Bull are certainly not the best at PR and certainly there is favouritism towards Vettel but hopefully they get their act together and treat each team driver equally But then again lets talk about Ferrari and Shuy with Barracello and many other teams over the years Hopefully Webber might reconsider his contract but then again it is too late I think
So, the one eyed Dr strikes again…….
Following the race by text only via BBC website:
BBC F1 commentator Jonathan Legard: “Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are now bookending this race, first and last – I wonder what the Red Bull hierarchy, who handed Vettel the new wing, are making of this.”
Justice! 🙂
Webber wins!
On his slowing down lap he radioed in:
Q/
Webber: “Fantastic guys, not bad for a number two driver.” Horner: “You can smile now.”
/Q
What terrible damage to Vettel’s confidence Marko and Horner have wrought.
Even being massively favoured, he was soundly beaten by his team-mate. Poor lad will be brain-mangled.
If it had been a straight fair fight and he’d lost, it wouldn’t have been so hard for him to take.
This will crush the lad.
Justice for Webber and retribution for Fragile Fred and Domenicali after their whining following Valencia. What a great result!
If some way can be found to fine Ferrari a hundred million or so maybe the era of Ferrari International Assistence will truly be over.
Ash, i did not know that either. this episode demonstrates game theory or the zero sum game at its worst… webber knows after locking in his contract that he cannot do anything about the situation, and so do his paymasters. vettel gains, webber loses out. i suspect this is why they have no qualms about favouring vettel, in addition to what i said earlier about their nonchalance regarding bad press.
but boy did he turn the situation on his head in teh best possible way! a win for karmic justice!
another way to look at it though given the facts we know, it could be an unortodox method of motivating their drivers.
marko knows that to succeed vettel needs to be moddy coddled, given preference and appeased like the young prima donna he is, and the tough, admits-when-he-is-at fault battler of a man that is webber does best when the odds are stacked against him. so they engineered this tension. only if that is the case will i say that red bull management are geniuses… because if only lewis did not puncture vettel’s tyre it could have been a red bull one-two with the better man on top.
So who runs that team, Horner, Newey or Dr Oetker…?
Red Bull gives you wings….and takes them away.
*lol*
I reckon RED BULL DOESN’T GIVE YOU WINGS should be their new slogan…
When are people going to see that Vettel is not ‘the real deal’ that you guys all think he is. At Silverstone he had pole, was gifted all the best toys, and threw it away. Then he finishes the race and throws all his toys out of the pram, blaming his team mate too. He is a boy racer, aptly names the ‘child’ by you journos. He complains about his chassis, gets it changed, they give it to Webber who wins with it… Duh?
On a separate note, I can’t believe how many mistakes are being made out there by such ‘highly rated’ drivers.
Lewis, Mark, Nico and Jenson (and maybe Robert) are the real stars out there – fast and neat, and the only guys capable of driving at qualifying pace every lap of every race without killing their cars. All the rest should be sent hill climbing.
Turkish Grand Prix.
On that weekend Seb was given new parts for the rear floor and rear wing at the beginning of the weekend,
He used them in FP1, FP2 and FP3. Mark’s car had the new parts bolted on just minutes before Q1. They were surprised that they arrived and obviously did not expect them to…
There was much praise for the RBR driver that made the trip from the factory.
Guess who was winning the championship at this time…..
not the guy with the shiny bits…
I feel bad for Mark but the main problem I have is being teated like an idiot!
Giving Vettel the new front wing obviously was not to gain more constructors points (it doesn’t matter in which order the drivers finish as long as they’re 1 and 2) – it was about backing the driver with the most points for the world drivers championship. Ridiculous situation Red Bull have put themselves in when both drivers have a fairly equal ability and are so close in the championship with many races to go.