Where exactly were you two years ago?
Webber backs down over Silverstone slagging match
A top Red Bull Racing advisor has spoken out against Mark Webber's outburst at the British Grand Prix less than two weeks ago.
Despite the Australian's dominant victory at Silverstone, the end result was marred by controversy within the ranks at the Milton Keynes-based team as team-mate Sebastian Vettel was given the front wing from Webber's car.
But now team advisor Dr Helmut Marko has poured cold water on any rumours of favouritism in the team. He has said that Webber owed a lot to Red Bull for giving him a car capable of victory when he was languishing in the middle of the pack before he joined the team.
"Where was Webber two years ago?" he said. "Back then, he couldn't even dream of Grand Prix victories. Today, we are able to give him a car with which he can win on his own."
Marko also suggested that Vettel had a bigger reason to suggest favouritism was going the way of Webber after a series of mechanical failures cost the German two certain victories earlier in the F1 season.
"Which car is constantly breaking?" said Austrian Marko. "Vettel had a defective spark plug in Bahrain, a loose wheel in Australia, a failed brake disc in Barcelona, a defective chassis in Monte Carlo, then transmission problems in Montreal and a broken nose at Silverstone.
"If Mark believes there's a conspiracy against him between us and Vettel, then he is on the wrong track. If I was Vettel, I would have suspected the opposite."
Webber has back-tracked in his criticism of the team after he admitted that he 'put too much out to the world' following his British GP triumph.
While the brash Aussie didn't mince his words in the immediate aftermath of the race, he has since tried to paper over the cracks beginning to form in his relationship with his employer.
He said: "It's a fair admission that I put too much out to the world. I would have liked it not to have got out. But it did. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I try to be honest to myself and everyone.
"I don't want any favouritism - just a fair deal. You can't afford anything that makes it a little bit harder for you. I was obviously a bit hot under the collar with what was going on. It was a unique situation because it was the first time we had just one component. It was a tricky decision to make. I was pretty disappointed by it."
F1 teams have struggled in the past to control two drivers battling for the World Championship, most famously Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at McLaren in the late 1980s. The pair fought viciously on and off the track, and Webber thinks tension between himself and Vettel could get worse before the season is out.
The debate will no doubt rumble on into the German GP this weekend, where Vettel will look to win on home soil, but it's Webber who sits proudly ahead of his team-mate in the drivers' standings and with McLaren's leading due of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in his sights.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Milton Keynes
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
