Webber gives Vettel the finger as world champion IGNORES team orders to win Malaysian Grand Prix

Red Bull in crisis: Webber gives Vettel the finger as world champion IGNORES team orders to win Malaysian Grand Prix 

By SIMON CASS

PUBLISHED: 09:42, 24 March 2013 | UPDATED: 16:39, 24 March 2013

Lewis Hamilton was handed preferential treatment over his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg as Sebastian Vettel defied team orders to deny Mark Webber victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

After rain spiced things up at the start, the race boiled down to two titanic struggles between team-mates at Red Bull and Mercedes following four pit stops for the quartet of drivers.

And while Rosberg begrudgingly held station for Hamilton to claim his inaugural podium for his new team, Vettel clearly had no intention of gifting Webber his first win since last year's British Grand Prix.

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Tension: Sebastian Vettel takes the acclaim of the crowd as his team-mate Mark Webber looks on glumly

The recriminations and repercussions went on long after the chequered flag with Webber inferring Vettel had ignored team orders but that he would be ‘protected’ by the team. Ultimately, the German's victory takes him level with Sir Jackie Stewart on 27 wins.

Vettel left Webber visibly upset, with the Australian driver refusing to acknowledge his team-mate, while the former issued a public apology. Red Bull cancelled their victory photo amid the turmoil. 

'I made a big mistake today and we should have stayed in the position,' said Vettel. 'I messed up in that situation and took the lead from Mark and can say now he is upset. Apologies to Mark. The result is there and all I can say is that I didn't do it deliberately. 

Vettel insisted he wasn't aware of his error until after the race. 'Mark should have won,' he said, adding that he won't make the mistake again.

Tension: Vettel later apologised to Webber although the Australian appeared reluctant to accept his words

Webber, furious after he had slowed whilst leading to save his tyres and engine, now appears to be considering his role at Red Bull.

WHAT THEY SAID

Sebastien Vettel

(During the race)
'Mark is too slow, get him out of the way.'

(Post-race)
'I think we should have stayed in the positions we were. I didn't ignore (the order to hold station) on purpose, but I messed up in that situation and obviously took the lead.

'I can see now he (Webber) is upset, but yeah, I at least want to be honest and stick to the truth and apologise.'

Mark Webber
(Post-race)
'Seb made his own decision and will have protection, and that's the way it goes.'

Christian Horner - Red Bull Team Principal
(During the race - after Vettel completed a risky overtake on Webber)

'This is silly Seb, come on.'
(Post-race)

'He (Vettel) knew what the communication was, but he chose to ignore it. He put his interests beyond what the team's position was.'

Nico Rosberg

(During the race)

'I think I'm faster (than third-placed Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton), let me pass.'

(from his car at the end of the race after complying with team orders)

'Remember this one.'

(Post-race - explaining latter comment above)

'It was a reminder to them (the team bosses) to remember that I played the game.'

Ross Brawn - Mercedes Team Principal
(During the race - in response to Rosberg suggesting he was quicker than Hamilton)

'Negative Nico, negative. Lewis' pace is what we are asking him to do. He can go a lot faster as well, so please be in control as well. There is a massive gap behind and nothing to gain in front. I want to bring both cars home.'

Lewis Hamilton

'If I'm honest it's Nico that should be standing here (on the third step of the podium).

'He deserves to be where I am. Obviously the team thought, with the position in the championship, it was logical to stay in the positions we were in.'

'There were a lot of things on my mind for the last 15 laps so we will see if that medicine (of a break) will work,' he said. 

'Basically, I got myself into position where we were controlling the race. I did a pretty good situation. I was ready for a sprint to the end and the team rang up and said, "the race pressure is off, look after the tyres. Don't fight each other." I turned the engine down.'

The race-defining moment reached its climax with 12 laps to go, prompting the Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to warn Vettel not to be silly. 

Vettel, however was in no mood to give any quarter to his team-mate, and when he finally muscled his way past there was no way back for Webber, who responded with a raised middle finger.

At least Hamilton had the good grace to admit Rosberg should have been on the podium given the pace advantage his team-mate had enjoyed.

'If I am honest Nico should be standing here, he had better pace,' he said. 'I was fuel-saving for a long, long time. But the guys did a great job and I brought it home. I can't say it is the best feeling being up here but racing is racing.'

In a race where the rain is usually a decisive factor, it was the white-hot racing on a dry track which was responsible for the thrilling climax.

The usual shower came around 40 minutes prior to red lights out. But despite conditions clearing for the start, the whole field needed intermediates for the opening laps.

Such tricky conditions can catch out even the best and after getting the drop on team-mate Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso was on the gearbox of pole man Sebastian Vettel.

But the Spaniard could not keep control of his Ferrari and twice tagged the back of the Red Bull, damaging his front wing.

Remarkably, Alonso stayed out for a second lap and, as his speed got up to 200mph down the main straight, he momentarily pitched his Ferrari into the air, before he slewed into the gravel trap and out of the race.

Vettel was the first into the pits at the end of lap five to put on slicks, but the switch was premature as he tumbled through the order, finishing the following lap in seventh place behind McLaren’s Sergio Perez.

But the mistake by Red Bull was not a patch on the clanger by Hamilton. Mercedes appeared to have got the call to bring Hamilton in at the end of lap seven bang on, but amazingly Hamilton pulled into the McLaren box before being waved down the pit lane by the mechanics of his former team.

The blunder cost Hamilton in the region of six seconds and the chance of emerging from the first wave of stops in the lead.

Instead it was Mark Webber, who also pitted at the end of lap seven, emerged in front after the first wave of stops – the Australian benefiting form Hamilton’s embarrassment and Vettel’s premature visit to the garage.

As matters shook down at the head of the field, Jenson Button - who blundered in similar circumstance to Hamilton at the Chinese Grand Prix two years ago - was maintaining the fifth place he had made up on the opening laps having started seventh on the grid.

Webber was back in at the end of lap 19 as Pirelli’s fragile rubber gave out and he was quickly followed by Hamilton, who found the right garage this time, followed by Vettel and Rosberg.

The top three remained Webber, Vettel, Hamilton once the field sorted itself out, although the reigning world champion opted for the softer compound tyre.

But while the second round of stops was plain sailing for the leaders, any hope of Force India building on their good start to the season evaporated in the pits.

Adrian Sutil had already suffered a tardy first stop but when teammate Paul di Resta visited his pit for the second time disaster struck as the team struggled to remove his front left wheel. A hammer was employed to try and fix the issue, but after finally getting the tyre on, Resta was soon back in the garage to retire his car.

Sutil suffered exactly the same problem, and after dropping to last place, the decision was taken to retire the German’s Force India, the first time both their cars have retired since the Japanese Grand Prix in 2010.

Naughty: Webber appeared to give his team-mate the finger after Vettel defied orders

All smiles? Vettel hugs Red Bull chief Adrian Newey after winning in Malaysia

In front: Vettel defied team orders to overtake Webber and set up his first win of the season

Meanwhile, at the front, Vettel was letting his frustration at being stuck behind Webber on softer tyres get the better of him. Speaking into his radio, as Hamilton closed up behind, Vettel moaned: ‘Mark is too slow, get him out of the way.’

Told to be patient, Vettel was handed the chance to do something about his team-mate as he assumed the lead when Webber and Nico Rosberg pitted for a third time, one lap after Hamilton.

But the decision to stay out an extra lap looked to have proved costly as both Webber and Hamilton swept past Vettel as he emerged from the pits following a slightly tardy stop.

And as Hamilton set about chasing down Webber, remarkably, given McLaren’s woes, Button briefly found himself leading the race until disaster struck.

Visiting the pits for the third time, and looking on for a decent points finish, Button fell foul of McLaren’s blundering pit crew yet again. Just as in Silverstone two years’ ago, McLaren released Button without his front-right wheel properly attached, forcing him to grind to a halt in the pit lane.

Early finish: Fernando Alonso damaged his wing and was forced to retire on the second lap

Not happy: Alonso abandoned his car after being forced to call it a day on the second lap

Blunder: Lewis Hamilton drove into the McLaren pit box instead of his own Mercedes team

Shock: Nicole Scherzinger watches as her boyfriend Hamilton drives into the wrong pit box

McLaren mechanics frantically raced to Buttons car and pushed it back to the garage, but despite finally sending him out with four wheels in his wagon, the damage had been done as he returned to the track way down in 14th

The news for Hamilton was not much better as, having burned excess petrol to stay in touch with the Red Bull, the 2008 world champion was told to save fuel. The lack of pace made him a sitting duck to Vettel who regained second place into the first turn at the start of lap 39.

In danger of being passed by Rosberg, Hamilton dived into the pits for a fourth and final time. The move kept him just ahead of his team-mate.

The final stops also set up a titanic struggle between Webber and Vettel for first place. Having pitted one lap later than Vettel, Webber returned to the track a whisker ahead of his team-mate.

A superb battle royale of wheel-to-wheel racing ensued as Hamilton and Rosberg briefly exchanged places further down the track.

Blow: Jenson Button was forced to retire his McLaren on the penultimate lap

Hamilton had far more to worry about form Rosberg to maintain third place as the chequered flag drew ever closer, the German less than a second behind and in DRS range.

Like Vettel, Rosberg came onto the team radio to state: ‘I am so much faster, let me get past.’ ‘Negative’ was the response from Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn.

Back on to the radio came Rosberg: ‘Tell him to speed up a bit, he’s too slow.’ Brawn replied tersely: ‘Please drop back a bit Nico, there is a big gap behind and I want to bring both these cars home.’

The order was accepted as Vettel crossed the line to win accompanied by the message he would have some explaining to do.

Brawn too was left with some explaining to do to a disgruntled Rosberg. ‘We’ll discuss the last bit later,’ said the boss. ‘Remember this one,’ replied his driver.

Thumbs up: Hamilton took the the podium for the first time with Mercedes

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-2298324/Malaysian-Grand-Pix-2013-Sebastian-Vettel-beats-Mark-Webber-Lewis-Hamilton.html#ixzz2OTvScCQA
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