No Favouritism at Red Bull apparently..

[RickD]

So, does anyone actually believe this after the turn of events at Silverstone? If so, why do you think this is the case?

Story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 834878.stm

I personally think Red Bull need to get a decent PR person to run their show for a while after the last few races and the debacle of the front wing.

 

[FB]

Horner's justification for giving Vettel the new wing was that he was leading Webber in the Championship. The test will be if there is only one new part at a forthcoming race now that Vettel is behind Webber.

That said, Vettel is pretty obvioulsy the driver Red Bull would prefer to take any Championship given the investment Red Bull have made in him. I read somewhere (perhaps in Andrew Benson's blog on the BBC) that Webber was "placed" at Red Bull by Flavio Briatore and, to some extent, Red Bull think he should be grateful to them for sticking with him. Kudos to Mark, he has found himself in a winning car and is taking full advantage of it. From a personal, and very biased perspective, I hope Webber beats Vettel, not because I have any particular axe to grind with Vettel but I don't think Webber has been treated fairly. However, I would rather one of the Mclaren pair beats them both, which is very likely if Red Bull don't sort these problems out.

Someone should show Christian Horner a video of the 2007 season to help him understand just what sort of problems such internecine rivalry can cause.

 

[MajorDanby]

No matter what Mateschitz says, I'm sure its been him and Marko making the noises that have lead to everyone suggesting Vettel is the favourite driver. This just smacks of hypocrisy from the energy drink tycoon, and i think has been bought about as he is finally realising that his team is coming apart at the seams.

I'm fully behind Webber this year, I think Vettel, although a good driver is totally overrated, especially during pressure situations, and this is possibly the year for Webber to take the crown.

 

[snowy]

It is very strange that Red Bull have painted themselves into this corner. If you look at the results their drivers have had this year you would have to be a complete idiot to favour one over the other, let alone Sebastian over Mark! Mark has delivered a whole host of strong, consistent drives since China, has stepped up to the plate and deserves a crack at the title with the full support of the team.

Sebastian is young and very much a work in progress, an equal struggle with Mark win or lose will make him a lot stronger than a shallow win aided and abetted by the team.

There is no question RB undermined Mark's confidence in the team during the Silverstone weekend, however they only strengthened his resolve, self-reliance and self-belief. So Red Bull are already well on the way to winning the prize for shooting oneself in the foot.

 

[teabagyokel]

It is starting to look like one of those great 'what if' stories, isn't it? You can almost see websites 30 years down the line saying 'The RB6 - one of the best cars in F1 history. Why was [Lewis Hamilton/Jenson Button] 2010 World Champion?'

If Red Bull don't get their act together that will be their epitaph.

As for there being no favoritism, I'm afraid I will be unable to dignify that with an answer.

 

[FB]

Webber did not want new wing, says engineer

Red Bull seem to be in full self destruct mode now if they are allowing one of their "Senior Engineers" to brief against a driver. This is almost as crass as Ron Dennis' "We were racing Alonso" comment in 2007.

 

[Brogan]

I read about Webber apparently not wanting the new wing last week after it all blew up.

It's interesting that the media/Red Bull have pushed the story to the top of the pile this week.

As for the favouritism issue, so far Red Bull haven't proven to me that they aren't favouring Vettel.

 

[teabagyokel]

Webber did not want new wing, says engineer

Red Bull seem to be in full self destruct mode now if they are allowing one of their "Senior Engineers" to brief against a driver. This is almost as crass as Ron Dennis' "We were racing Alonso" comment in 2007.

That may be true that Webber found little difference with the new wing. OK. So if that is the case what in the name of all that is holy was the "Not bad for a number 2 driver" comment about?

Morons.

 

[siffert_fan]

I read this (perhaps a bit hopefully) as a warning shot to Horner, telling hiim that he can be replaced if the distractions continue and result in the loss of both championships when they have the best car.

 

[KekeTheKing]

To me it seems that Webber seriously enjoys giving younger drivers the needle. If he truly didn't seem to notice any difference between the old and new wings at Silverstone, and then made a big stink of it after he won the race, this just confirms my opinion even further.

I can recall comments that Mark has made in the past about Hamilton not having to work his way up the ladder into a race-winning car, and that he never really earned his stripes. He never misses an opportunity to refer to his former teammate as "Britney", which I think is a bit uncalled for at this point. And I think that he sees himself as more of an old-school driver than he really is.

Don't get me wrong, I've gained a lot of respect for Webber this year as I certainly didn't expect him to be ahead of Vettel at this point, and I think it's fairly obvious that he is not the guy that the Red Bull higher-ups would prefer to win the Championship. But I think it's becoming clear that he is relishing the role as underdog victim in this Red Bull drama.

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

KekeTheKing said:
I can recall comments that Mark has made in the past about Hamilton not having to work his way up the ladder into a race-winning car, and that he never really earned his stripes.

Yes, I remember him saying that. Which is a bit rich considering all the lower formulae that Lewis won, and also considering that Mark got into F1 before Justin Wilson, who beat him hands down in the 2001 international F3000 championship.

Webbo got into F3000 with the aid of his compatriot and team owner Paul Stoddart, then Aussie Stoddart bought the Minardi F1 team and hey presto! Webbo the Aussie got a seat!

 

[teabagyokel]

To me it seems that Webber seriously enjoys giving younger drivers the needle. If he truly didn't seem to notice any difference between the old and new wings at Silverstone, and then made a big stink of it after he won the race, this just confirms my opinion even further.

I can recall comments that Mark has made in the past about Hamilton not having to work his way up the ladder into a race-winning car, and that he never really earned his stripes. He never misses an opportunity to refer to his former teammate as "Britney", which I think is a bit uncalled for at this point. And I think that he sees himself as more of an old-school driver than he really is.

That is a fair point. To start with, Hamilton is already a World Drivers Champion, and McLaren are at perfect liberty to hire whoever they want. If their talent spotting is good enough, they'll reap the rewards.

If you look at it though, Webber has had a lot of sleights in his career in F1. For a B*****e managed driver to not end up at Renault when there are some right chancers who have slipped through that particular net.

I suppose he sees himself as a middle-of-the-road underdog in a fast car, and this is his One Big Chance. He's of course frustrated that his own team aren't helping him in favor of someone who will presumably have a few shots at the summit.

He's seen how someone who was in the same category two years ago [Button] can take a Chance when a fast car comes along, and he feels he's losing it because of his team. You can see where the anger would come from.

He doesn't want to be Felipe Massa - spurned on his One Big Chance by the man who apparently didn't climb the ladder.

(Or Vettel/Button, but tbf that doesn't bookend the post quite as well)

 

[Speshal]

I suppose he sees himself as a middle-of-the-road underdog in a fast car, and this is his One Big Chance. He's of course frustrated that his own team aren't helping him in favour of someone who will presumably have a few shots at the summit.

Spot on - Maaaaark must be a little bit