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Tension grows at Red Bull

Tension grows at Red Bull

07/11/2010 11:55:46 PM

Sebastian Vettel hinted at a deterioration in his relationship with team-mate Mark Webber at the end of a dramatic British Grand Prix weekend for the Red Bull Racing duo.

What should have been a superb occasion for the Milton Keynes-based outfit, which locked out the front row of the grid and saw Webber take a faultless win, instead degenerated into antagonism as accusations of bias in the camp again took centre stage.

Matters came to a head on Saturday when Red Bull team principal Christian Horner elected to remove an updated front wing from the car of Webber and attach it to that of Vettel, who had suffered a failure of the same component.

Horner said the decision was based on the fact Vettel was ahead of Webber in the title race heading into this weekend, but the incident rekindled memories of the Turkish Grand Prix in May, when Webber and Vettel collided when dicing for the lead.

Red Bull faced accusations of favouritism towards Vettel on that occasion by appearing to take the side of the young German, who most neutral observers felt was to blame for the coming-together.

Although the team papered over the cracks after Turkey with clear-the-air talks, the controversial decision to hand the new wing to Vettel at Webber's expense has reopened the rift.

Webber has made no secret of his disgust at his treatment, pointedly crowing over the team radio at the end of the race that his performance was 'not bad for a No.2 driver'.

And Vettel indicated after the race that the distance between himself and Webber is growing.

"I focus on myself and so does he, I guess," he said.

"Especially after what has happened in the past, people have different opinions, I have my opinion."

"You get to know people a bit better and, I think, see their true faces."

"I think I learnt my lesson and I'll focus on myself."

Reports of unrest in the camp will not however disguise the fact that once again Vettel failed to convert first place on the starting grid into a win.

Vettel has turned only one of his five pole positions this season into a race win - in Valencia last month - and again hit trouble at the start on Sunday, suffering a first-lap puncture which contributed to a seventh-place finish at the flag.

"I had a bad start with lots of wheelspin, so I lost the immediate pull away, probably trying a bit too hard, but that's life," the pole-sitter said.

"I went into turn one and had to let Mark past. People said that Lewis [Hamilton] touched me but I didn't feel anything."

"Mark had a better start. I moved to the right trying to defend but he was already there."

"There was no point to do something stupid, the race is longer than just one corner."

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

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