Red Bull to favour own talent over Hamilton

Formula One champions Red Bull are more likely to promote their own young talent than try to lure Lewis Hamilton from McLaren if they have a vacancy at the end of the season, according to team boss Christian Horner

Australian Mark Webber's contract with Red Bull, as team mate to 24-year-old double champion Sebastian Vettel, expires at the end of the year, as does 2008 world champion Hamilton's at McLaren.

The Briton was linked last season to Red Bull, with Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone suggesting only last month that Hamilton might want to move, but Horner told British reporters before this weekend's Australian season-opener that his team were unlikely to be interested.

"I think that it's difficult to envisage Lewis in our team," he said. "I think he's comfortable in the environment that he's in and we're certainly comfortable with the two drivers we have.

"We also took a decision to invest in youth and we've got two really exciting youngsters that are entering GP racing in Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo - both very talented drivers and deserve that opportunity," said Horner.

"It will be fascinating to see how they evolve during the year. So we would be more likely to look inwardly than outwardly."

Both Vergne and Ricciardo are starting their first full seasons at Red Bull's sister team Toro Rosso with the potential reward of a promotion to partner Vettel should Webber retire or the champions decide a change is needed.

Germany's Vettel graduated in a similar way from Toro Rosso after winning the Italian Grand Prix in 2008.

"You've got to look at the balance within a team as well," said Horner, who recently tipped Hamilton's team mate Jenson Button, the 2009 champion, as likely to be Vettel's biggest threat from outside Red Bull.

"It's important to have the right balance within any team, not just with the drivers but throughout the organisation...our preference would probably be more to go with drivers in whom we have invested from a young age, and give them the opportunity to see how they evolve rather than take something external."

Horner refused to fuel any speculation about Webber's future however, saying the 35-year-old was in great shape, determined to bounce back from a disappointing 2011.

"I certainly don't think Mark is going into this year thinking this is his last," he said.

"He is motivated, he is hungry, he's enjoying Formula One again, he sees a future beyond the end of 2012. I think that inevitably when drivers get to a certain age...it's logical to take things one step at a time which is what both Mark and the team agreed to do.

"There is no pre-requisite that Mark won't be in the car in 2013. It's a long season. We'll talk about things at the end of the year."

Horner said there were no guarantees that youngsters like Frenchman Vergne or Australian Ricciardo would be ready to move up at the end of the year should Webber, who won just once last year against Vettel's 11 victories, decide to stop.

"It might take two years, or even three. It's just a healthy situation for the team to have two really young talented drivers who we'll be able to gauge against each other," he added.

Source: Reuters Sports

FIA: Diffuser row has been resolved

The FIA is confident there will be no aftermath following an end to the technical row that overshadowed the British Grand Prix

The introduction of a ban on off-throttle blown diffusers sparked a spat between Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and McLaren counterpart Martin Whitmarsh at Silverstone as they argued over its intricacies.

It resulted in two extraordinary meetings of the Technical Working Group (TWG) over the weekend in a bid to reach a resolution for the rest of the season.

Motor sport's world governing body has now officially confirmed a return to the measures applied for the European Grand Prix in Valencia just over a fortnight ago.

For that race a ban on engine mapping - where an engine is tweaked via an electronic control unit between qualifying and the race with regard to performance - came into force.

But given the difficulties in finding a fair and equitable solution in relation to the diffusers, teams can carry on as they were prior to the British GP.

The FIA has admitted "the matter was more complex than initially thought".

In a Q&A on their website, the FIA confirm representations from Renault Sport, who supply engines to three teams including Red Bull, initially stirred the pot.

It was only following the TWG meetings that consensus was reached, with the teams agreeing to run for the rest of the season as they did in Valencia.

The FIA added: "This was felt to be the most sensible solution to a very complicated matter as the possibility of finding an alternative solution, which would be fair to all engine manufacturers, was becoming increasingly unlikely."

Confirming the matter now been settled, the FIA said: "All cars will run under 'Valencia' conditions for the remainder of the season.

"We are optimistic there will be no protests over any engine mapping and exhaust tailpipe issues this season.

"It was also agreed no team would raise a protest against another on these matters for the rest of the season."

Source: Planet-F1

Vettel’s boss: Serious reproaches against Webber

World champion Sebastian Vettel (24) has a 80 points lead in the World Championship classification. In the Constructor’s Championship, the lead goes up to 110 points

Nevertheless, there is quarrel at Red Bull! Team boss, Christian Horner (37), severely reproaches Vettel’s team-mate Mark Webber (34/Australia) in interview with BILD.

BILD: Mr. Horner, Sebastian Vettel, after nine out of 18 races, is almost world champion again ...

Horner: "Stop. Stop. There are still ten races and 250 points to be awarded. If Sebastian DNF three times, everything would be quite different. Things can change quickly. "

BILD: when your second driver, Mark Webber, simply ignores your orders, as in Silverstone?

Horner: "For example. We have sorted Mark out. He has risked Sebastian’s second place, his 3rd place and 33 points for the team. "

BILD: Because he attacked Vettel contrary your team-orders at the end (of the race)?

Horner: "He is a racer, I understand it. But I've seen in the monitor at the wall what many viewers, for sure, weren’t aware of: Mark took Sebastian to the utmost limit and brought them both, in two different places, absolutely unnecessarily in crash risk. That can’t happen. If all our 500 people would think only of themselves, we would never be able to achieve our goals. "

BILD: Has it reduced Webber’s chances at Red Bull for 2012?

Horner: "We will take a decision together at the end of august."

BILD: Do you already have in your head Vettel’s new team-mate?

Horner: "No. He must be able to drive at the front and bring harmony to the team. How harmonious a driver is, is often difficult to assess in his current environment. "

BILD: Like someone who doesn’t drive Formula 1 at the moment but is in the Red Bull's payroll?

Horner: "Kimi Räikkönen?"

BILD: Yes, exactly.

Horner: "But he is driving trucks in America and rallies. I think, his head is somewhere else than Formula 1 at the moment. It is hard to come back. "

BILD: But even: there’s supposed to be a plan to let Räikkönen drive alongside Vettel for a year.

Horner: "I've not seen so far any signs in Kimi of a return. As I said, we are not in a hurry in the driver’s question. Everyone in the pit lane has already knocked at our door. We have time. "

Source: Bild.de
Courtesy: Mar

Horner to hold 'private' talks with Mark Webber

Mark Webber can expect a stern talking to from Christian Horner after the Red Bull driver admitted to ignoring team orders in Britain

Webber was ordered by his team not to take the fight to team-mate Sebastian Vettel after closing up on the German in the final few laps of Sunday's race at Silverstone.

The pole-sitter was not happy with the team's decision, admitting he "ignored" it for as long as possible.

"I am not fine with it, no. That is the answer to that," Webber said. "If Fernando (Alonso) retires on the last lap, we are fighting for the win.

"Of course I ignored the team because I wanted to try and get a place. Seb was doing his best, I was doing my best. I wasn't going to crash with anyone.

"I try to do my best with the amount of one way conversation I was having - I was trying to do my best to pass the guy in front."

But while Webber was not happy with the team's call, Horner was even less impressed upon hearing of his driver's dissent.

Asked by Autosport if he was 'surprised' Webber ignored direct orders, Horner said: "Yes. At the end of the day the team is the biggest thing, and no individual is bigger than the team.

"I can understand Mark's frustration in that, but had it been the other way around it would have been exactly the same.

"It happened a couple of years ago in Turkey when exactly the same thing happened with Sebastian, so it makes no sense from a team point of view to risk both of your cars. It was obvious that neither was going to concede.

"And, as we saw with (Felipe) Massa and (Lewis) Hamilton at the last corner, who very nearly made contact, it made no sense from a team point of view to allow them to continue to fight over those last couple of laps.

"Mark obviously chose to ignore that and didn't make the pass in any event, but that is the team's position."

The Aussie is now on course for a intense talk with his team boss in which Horner is most likely to express his dissatisfaction.

"It is something that he and I will talk about in private," Horner said.

He again defended the team's decision, adamant that extending their lead - although already considerable - in both Championships was a must for Red Bull Racing.

"I made it quite clear in the drivers' briefing this morning in front of the engineers, that the biggest thing today was about getting a team result in front of all of the staff who put in so much effort into both of those cars, for the Constructors' Championship and the Drivers' Championship.

"Now both drivers have come away with Sebastian having extended his lead in the World Championship, Mark having moved into second in the World Championship and the team having increased its lead in the Constructors' Championship.

"At the end of the day, the team Championship is every bit as important as the Drivers' Championship to us. And we risked giving away 33 points today in the last three laps by allowing our drivers to fight it out.

"As we have seen previously, that can have dire consequences. We said okay, we have allowed them to race up until that point and, with three laps to go, rather than risk both of them being in the fence, it was the right decision."

Source: Planet-F1

Räikkönen is not one of Horner's options

A week ago Christian Horner visited the Swiss Servus-tv's F1-program and confirmed once again, that Kimi Räikkönen is not an option for Red Bull next season. In the program viewers voted for their most favorite driver alongside Sebastian Vettel. Mark Webber got 26,2 % of the votes. Räikkönen came in second with 26,1 % whereas Lewis Hamilton was third with 17,4 % and Jenson Button fourth with 16,4 %.

– Kimi is a good driver but I believe that F1 is in the past life for Kimi. He drives rally and as I have heard he is also interested in Nascar and is not coming back to F1-tracks, Horner said in the show.

Webber rebelled a bit against Horner's order at the end of Sunday's race, however he didn't do anything that would have upset the team harmony. As far as I know, Red Bull would at some stage had carried out a survey concerning Räikkönen's availability if Webber should decide to quit.

Let's take a peek into the driver market for next season. Already at this point it looks certain that it will be quite quiet in the transfer stock market.

No changes are happening in the four biggest teams if Webber still continues in the champion team. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will stay at McLaren and Ferrari has confirmed that Felipe Massa will still continue driving alongside Fernando Alonso.

Since these top teams have no seats to offer, Nico Rosberg will stay at Mercedes and he has earned a remarkable raise in his salary with his good grips, since so far he has drove in the team with the 7 million euros that Button turned down when choosing McLaren instead.

It's practically certain that also Michael Schumacher will continue at Mercedes because only he can decide if he wants to continue or not. His motivation has to be strained with all his crashes and car with no victories though.

Renault will probably change at least one of the drivers. Robert Kubica will try to get back to the team already at the end of this season, but after that the situation is completely open. Vitali Petrov has beaten Nick Heidfeld and will most probably continue in the team for the third year.

Williams has already made their choices of drivers. Rubens Barrichello stated so openly that he wants to continue and would be ready to sign a contract immediately, that the British team will hold up their decision for a longer time so they could get the Brazilian to take a little back from the salary he has demanded.

Pastor Maldonado has an option with Williams and he assured in Silverstone that he isn't looking at other options.

Sauber is building their next season with Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez. Kobayashi has assured the circles so well, that several teams are following his development very. Perez again is a student from Ferrari's academy and he is a qualified option to take Massa's place in year 2013 for example.

From Force India we can expect that Nico Hülkenberg will replace Adrian Sutil. Since Schumacher continues at Mercedes, Paul di Resta will stay in the Indian team that uses Mercedes-engines.

The other driver at Toro Rosso will also change. Based upon the endseason's performances, either Sebastien Buemi or Jaime Alguersuari will keep their seat. They get Daniel Ricciardo from Hispania as their team mate.

Lotus will get a new African sponsor before Germany GP, which enables the team to choose their drivers based upon their esperience and skills instead of sponsor money. Therefore it looks certain that Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli will continue.

Virgin is the best Timo Glock can find but Jerome d’Ambrosio is standing in line to Renault.

Hispania-team has once again changed the owner. Jose Ramon Carabante and his family have vanished from the scenes and the racing team is now built by a small investing company called Theran Capital. In Hispania the winds of changes are blowing. The new owner has got himself one of Honda's Brackley-factories and is moving the team to England.

Theran Capital is looking for Spanish forces to replace team manager Colin Kolles. At this point the driver-matters aren't important but they are predicting in general that Spain's Dani Clos, who is doing well in GP2-races, is a strong contender for Hispania in 2012.

Turun Sanomat, Silverstone

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Mark Webber urged to keep up good work

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner hopes Mark Webber's performance at Valencia is a sign of things to come for the rest of the season

Webber is second behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers' Championship, but he has struggled to give the reigning World Champion a run for his money this year. Vettel has won six out of eight grands prix and has started ahead of Webber in seven of those races.

Webber, though, put up a much improved display at the European Grand Prix and he rated his third-place finish as "probably the best of the season".

Horner agrees with Webber's sentiments and is delighted that he is starting to bridge the gap to his team-mate.

"It was Mark's best race of the season in terms of his performance on those tyres," Horner is quoted by Reuters as saying. "It's the closest he has been to Sebastian all season. He drove well this weekend. Nobody is taking anything for granted."

Horner is also hopeful that the Australian will continue to improve as he's finally coming to grips with the new Pirelli tyres.

"I hope he keeps building up the momentum from this weekend," he said.

"He's made no secret of the fact he's struggled more on these tyres than Sebastian. I think he's understanding them better now.

"If you look at the time difference between the guys during the race he was never more than four or five seconds away for 90 percent of the race, which is the best we've seen all year.

"He'll take a lot of confidence out of the weekend."

Source: Planet-F1

Hamilton plays down chats with Horner and Domenicali

Lewis Hamilton has played down his conversations with rival team bosses Christian Horner and Stefano Domenicali at the Canadian grand prix last weekend.

Media reports have made much of the fact that, with his contract expiring next year, the highly rated 2008 world champion sought out the Red Bull and Ferrari chiefs in the Montreal paddock.

But Hamilton, speaking as he swapped his McLaren car for Tony Stewart’s NASCAR at the Watkins Glen circuit for a PR stunt, said those sorts of social chats are entirely normal.

"I know all the managers, the bosses, all the teams. I know Stefano Domenicali, we chat all the time.

"I’ve known Christian since I was in the lower series ... and I used to speak to him back then. I spoke to a lot of people last weekend," explained the 26-year-old.

Hamilton insisted he is "very fortunate" to be a McLaren driver and played down suggestions he is eyeing a team switch.

But he admitted: "I’ve definitely not achieved all that I want to.

"But we are the only other team that has won grands prix this year, so I don’t see why you’d particularly want to move.

"So as long as we have the car that can do the job, then there will be no reason to leave."

Source: Nextgen

Hamilton met with Red Bull chief

Lewis Hamilton could yet be off to Red Bull Racing after reportedly meeting with Christian Horner for a "preliminary chat" in Canada

Earlier this season, when McLaren looked to have seriously botched their MP4-26, rumours did the rounds that Hamilton could seek employment elsewhere when his deal with the Woking team expires at the end of next year.

However, the 26-year-old insisted that he is committed to McLaren.

"There is no question of my loyalty for my team. It's been my team since I was six years old," he said back in April.

"I'm here, I'm committed to them. I want to try and help them as well as becoming one of the most successful drivers myself. I want them to be out there to do that for me."

But Hamilton's commitment may last only as long as his current deal as he may be looking to Red Bull Racing in a bid to win a second Drivers' Championship title.

Autosport reports that "Hamilton met for private talks with Red Bull Racing chief Christian Horner at the team's office buildings on Saturday evening - where the two spent at least 15 minutes together chatting in private.

"Although it is not known exactly what they talked about, as one Red Bull source cheekily dismissed the get-together as nothing more than a 'social visit', it would be unlikely that the pair did not discuss future intentions."

Autosport, though, did add that there is "no suggestion that it was anything more than a preliminary chat, or that the talks will definitely develop into something in the future."

But with Hamilton's frustrations with his lack of success clearly growing - and compromising his performances out on track - it seems likely that the Brit and his new management team of Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment would be looking at his options.

Source: Planet-F1

Webber: I’m determined to fight for the title

Mark Webber intends to fight for the title just like he did last year

Mark Webber denied that he will retire from Formula 1 if he is not signed by Red Bull for next season and is totally committed to fight for the 2011 title.

The Australian told La Stampa during his showcar run in Turin, “I’m determined. Last year I fought for the title and I want to do it again.”

Team boss Christian Horner claimed recently that Australian Webber has “no desire” to switch to a rival camp as his current contract is set to expire at the end of 2011.

The 34-year-old has had a difficult start to the new season but he told reporters that he is confident of a surge of form in forthcoming races.

“When this championship ends my contract with Red Bull does as well,” Webber told the Italian newspaper. “But I don’t think it depends on the results; I want to win for me.”

“We’ll see,” added Webber. “If the team doesn’t want me any more, I will have to ask myself a question — hang up my helmet or change teams?”

He admitted he has “flaws” but said his teammate and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel does too.

As for Vettel, Webber answered: “Sebastian is very fast and he now has a good amount of experience. But he’s not unbeatable.”

“I prefer not to talk about his weaknesses, but we all have them,” he insisted.

Webber showed ‘true grit’ when he overcame a torrid qualifying in Shanghai, which saw him start 18th on the grid, to recover and after scything through the field in the RB7 finished third.

The message on the day was clear from the Aussie: don’t count me out.

Source: YallaF1

Horner: Seb-Lewis line-up unlikely to work

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has put paid to suggestions that his team could make a move for Lewis Hamilton, saying a driver line-up featuring Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton is unlikely to work

Hamilton's name has in recent weeks been linked with the Milton Keynes outfit and the team's advisor Helmut Marko added fuel to the flames by claiming the McLaren driver is always on their discussion list.

"Definitely with his aggression and his speed, Hamilton must always be a topic. Our philosophy is to have the quickest drivers together in our team," Marko told Germany's Bild.

However, Horner feels a Hamilton-Vettel partnership is likely to be as problematic as the Hamilton-Fernando Alonso one was at McLaren in 2007.

"It's difficult to see how you could have two drivers of Lewis's and Seb's calibre under one roof because there tends to be fireworks, as we saw with Fernando and Lewis," Horner told journalists at Silverstone.

"Seb and Mark are at different stages of their career, and they complement each other. You've got an 11-year age gap between them, and in life experience that is pretty valuable. In Lewis and Seb you've got two drivers who are within a year or two, still in the early stages of their careers."

Horner also downplayed suggestions that they could make a move for Hamilton in the near future, saying the Brit is likely to stay with McLaren "for a while yet".

"Lewis is a wonderfully gifted driver," Horner said. "He's obviously happy at McLaren. We're very happy with the driver line-up that we have.

"Of course if he wanted to drive for Red Bull then of course you couldn't ignore a driver of his calibre. But I understand that he's got a multi-year contract with McLaren and I'd envisage that he'd be there for a while yet.

"With any driver/team relationship there's got to be a desire on both sides, and that's what makes the relationship work so well with our current drivers. Sebastian's been with Red Bull since he was 12.

"But who knows, in the future, you can never rule anything out. But there would have to be a strong desire on both sides to do something like that.

" The Red Bull boss also accused Hamilton of using a bit of "gamesmanship" after he described the team as a "drinks manufacturer" and questioned their front wing.

"When you're at the top you're always going to be shot at," he said. "Sebastian is the youngest ever World Champion - a mantle which he took away from Lewis. Both of them are hugely talented drivers, and inevitably there will be a bit of gamesmanship between the drivers and also between the teams.

"It's just part of this business and when you're running at the front it's inevitable that attention will be focused on you, whether it be on your front wings or anything else. It's a distraction tactic which we find quite flattering."

Source: Planet-F1

Horner tips Hamilton to knock at Red Bull

Christian Horner has refused to rule out signing McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.

"Any driver-manager doing his job at the moment has been banging on the door," said the Red Bull team boss, on the day Hamilton announced his career will be handled from now by entertainment manager Simon Fuller.

"Lewis is a great driver," Horner is quoted by the Telegraph. "You would think he’s not going to be happy having another barren year."

Horner’s comments might be regarded as mischief-making, with McLaren’s 2011 car currently off the pace of the field-leading Red Bull and Ferrari.

But Hamilton also had a poor season in 2009 as reigning world champion, while last season the McLaren was not quite a match for the best cars.

Horner suggested it is 26-year-old Hamilton who will therefore be doing the knocking.

"That is not to say we are looking for him to come to our team. We are very happy with the two drivers we have. That is more of a question you would need to put to Lewis," he added.

Horner insisted Red Bull could handle a Sebastian Vettel-Hamilton pairing.

"You would certainly envisage it being quite a busy partnership, but you can never rule it out. From my perspective you always want to have the best two drivers," he said.

For now, Hamilton says he is happy at McLaren, playing down reports he is disillusioned before even racing the MP4-26.

"It’s a long, long year and I have no doubts that we can compete with these guys," he said.

Source: NextgenAuto

Horner: Vettel can go to Ferrari in ten years

Red Bull Racing F1 boss Christian Horner does not take Sebastian Vettel’s headline grabbing flirtation with Ferrari too seriously and has said that a decade down the road Ferrari are free to have the reigning world champion.

Speaking to Reuters, Horner said, “I think any driver at some stage in his career would like to drive for the red team and we don’t hold that against him. But…for the foreseeable future we see him as a part of Red Bull, he’s grown up within the Red Bull family and hopefully for many years to come. Just before he retires he can go to Ferrari.

He added mischievously, “If he wants to go to Ferrari just before he retires, then that could be another 10 years away. Or in Michael (Schumacher)’s case 20 years away.”

Horner pointed out, “The Italians get very excited when world champions talk about Ferrari, so maybe he’s been dreaming about Ferrari but I think that’s about all. One of the things that we encourage is a freedom of expression and so on. Sebastian is his own person and he’s got his own opinions.”

“For the foreseeable future, and most importantly for the immediate future, he is very much committed to Red Bull and likewise Red Bull committed to him,” he admitted.

“It’s down to us to ensure that we are giving him a quick car and it’s down to him to ensure that he’s performing, and what driver in the pitlane wouldn’t want to drive a Red Bull at the moment?” asked the champion team boss.

“He’s an important part of what we do and an important part of how the team moves forward but that is more than a piece of paper or a contract. That comes down to relationships, down to trust, down to feeling comfortable in an environment. He’s grown up within the Red Bull family and all the success he has achieved within his motorsport career has come within that environment,” concluded Horner.

Source: YallaF1

Photos: Mario Andretti visits Red Bull Racing Factory in Milton Keynes

Sebastian Vettel with Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner and motor racing legend Mario Andretti during a visit to the Red Bull Racing headquarters on January 26, 2011 in Milton Keynes

...

Abu Dhabi GP 2010: Martin Whitmarsh and Christian Horner Interview

Source: bokuwahmz

'Alonso win would be frustrating after Hockenheim'

Red Bull’s Christian Horner has said that a championship win for Fernando Alonso would be ‘frustrating’ for his Milton Keynes team this season, following the Spaniard’s aid to victory at Hockenheim in July.

With Ferrari having decided in Germany that Felipe Massa should give up the race lead for Alonso, the Oviedo man picked up an extra seven World Championship points – an amount Horner would find difficult to comprehend, should the title winner of 2005 and 2006 earn the crown by less than that amount this season.

“It would be frustrating because we've obviously worked under the auspices that team orders have been illegal,” the Englishman told BBC Sport.

“The FIA made the ruling that they did and that's it, it's clear for all. We've just got to get on with it and try and do our talking on the circuit.”

However, Horner is confident that Red Bull – with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel now 11 and 25 points in arrears of Alonso, respectively – can bounce back.

“Both drivers still have a good chance, particularly Mark, to lift the big trophy at the end of the year,” he added.

Source: GP Update

Button will help Hamilton voluntarily - Whitmarsh .

As the Yeongam paddock emptied on Sunday night, the only talking point was the title contending teams' driver strategies for the now two-race run to the championship crown.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said it is a "no brainer" that Jenson Button should now back his McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton, whilst announcing that Sebastian Vettel still has a green light to push for the title.

"For us, the strategy is clear," McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. "We don't really have to say anything to our drivers. "Jenson will offer his help to Hamilton voluntarily, because he knows that we have treated him fairly throughout the year. And because he knows that he will win now only with a miracle," added the Briton.

Red Bull's Mark Webber and Vettel are separated by a smaller points margin, but Whitmarsh said "logic dictates that all the eggs are now put in the Webber basket". "But this team's heart beats for Vettel," he insisted. "There has been so much unrest that I am not expecting a clear statement from them."

Source: F1 Complete

Red Bull admits to ’building team around Vettel’

"Mark is in the autumn of his career"

Red Bull has pledged driver equality for the 2010 title fight, whilst openly admitting that Sebastian Vettel is regarded as the man of the future.

"The main thing now is that we become world champions," said Helmut Marko, who was accused earlier this year of wanting Vettel to beat Australian Webber to the top spot.

But with Webber 14 points clear, and Vettel level-pegging with Ferrari’s chasing Fernando Alonso, the Austrian-owned team must give the 34-year-old an unimpeded run to the chequered flag.

For the future, however, Red Bull’s ambitions are well known.

"I repeat: we are building the team around Sebastian," team boss Christian Horner is quoted by Auto Bild.

"Sebastian has a long career ahead of him and hopefully he will spend it with us," said the Briton. "Mark is in the autumn of his career.

"He wants to retire while he’s at the top, not when he’s past his peak like some other drivers," added Horner.

1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, however, thinks Red Bull are making a mistake by giving 23-year-old Vettel so much cover.

"Just look at the differing seasons Mark and Sebastian have had," the French Canadian is quoted by the Telegraph.

"Vettel has shown he has an impetuous streak but if he makes a mistake and the team don’t tell him it was his fault, he won’t learn.

"It’s Red Bull’s fault for spoiling him," insisted Villeneuve.

Source: Nextgen

Christian Horner Q&A: We won’t interfere in title race

With the prospect of winning both championships this season, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner should be a very happy man. However, there is the bothersome issue of having both his drivers, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, still in the running for the title to contend with. Although it’s a nice problem to have, after promising both men equal opportunities, managing the situation could be far from straightforward, as Horner explained to Formula1.com…

Q: Christian, who would be your favourite candidate for the title - Mark Webber or Sebastian Vettel?
Christian Horner: You should know very well that I cannot - and must not - answer this question.

Q: So how will you handle the situation with both your drivers fighting for the championship?
CH: We have a luxury problem. For the team it is fantastic that we have two drivers eligible for the title. And we don’t need to dig too much into psychoanalysis to understand that if two guys are fighting for the most prestigious title in motorsport then tension is part of the game. We have to make sure that neither feels disadvantaged.

Q: How difficult was it after the crash in Istanbul?
CH: That has a huge challenge that grew even bigger the more it was speculated upon in public. But we have solved that issue.

Q: Webber’s manager Flavio Briatore has asked for team orders to help his driver as he is the one leading the championship. How do you answer such a demand?
CH: What else should he say as Mark’s manager? My answer is a clear ‘no’. Of course, I can imagine that Flavio would prefer it if we go the Ferrari way and put our efforts behind only one driver, but that would be wrong, as both are right in the middle of the fight for the title. The only thing we expect from them is that they don’t hamper each other.

Q: Webber is the hunted, Vettel the hunter. What is your strategy for the three remaining races?
CH: Sebastian has to fight for every single point. But after his Japan win the pressure has eased a bit because in the end he has nothing to lose. Mark has to do a balancing act. He must not drive too defensively but on the other hand must keep his margin over his competitors.

Q: Can Vettel still make it?
CH: Of course. There are still 75 points to be allocated. I promise that the team will not interfere in the race for the title. But you should also consider that we are heading for tracks that suit the Ferraris and McLarens better. I am a bit concerned about the Abu Dhabi race. McLaren was doing very well there last year, even though their car was not as good as ours, and it is a fact that we have a bit of a horsepower disadvantage. That could make a difference in Abu Dhabi and probably also in Korea.

Q: Vettel’s season has been a rollercoaster ride. Aside from some technical hiccups he was faster than Webber at the beginning of the season, slower than him by midseason and lately faster again. Do you have an explanation for that?
CH: No. The only explanation that I have is that Sebastian was a bit unlucky and Mark made the best out of his chances.

Q: Vettel was heavily criticised after making two mistakes. How did he deal with this?
CH: For someone as young as he is, he is very remarkable. He is his biggest critic but also has a huge amount of self-confidence. Even when the media wrote him off and the other teams tried to put him under pressure, he always fought back. He has a very strong character.

Q: If he wins the title it would make him the youngest-ever world champion. Is he ready for it?
CH: Yes, he is old enough for the title.

Q: The last two races have seen a lot of discussions between team principals. Is the unity of the teams still strong?
CH: Yes, but it is facing huge challenges. I cannot say more than that at the moment.

Source: Formula1.com

Horner: Red Bull will not back one driver

Christian Horner is adamant Red Bull will not favour one driver in the race for the World title despite concerns that the rivalry could hurt their chances

With just three races remaining in this year's Championship, Red Bull are leading the Drivers' standings with Mark Webber on 220 points.

However, his team-mate Sebastian Vettel is also in the hunt, 14 points off the pace. Momentum, though, is with the German, who has taken points off his Australian team-mate is the last three races.

And with Vettel coming to the fore, Red Bull are adamant they will not force the 23-year-old to play second fiddle to Webber despite concerns that it could ultimately cost them the title.

"It's not correct, as we've always said, for us to favour one driver over the other," said Horner. "The team will support both drivers as equally as we can."

The team boss also insisted that both drivers are playing fair with one another as the two sides of the garage continue to work alongside each other instead of against each other.

"The way the drivers are working at the moment is fantastic. They are both working in a completely transparent and open way," he said.

"They are obviously competing for the biggest prize in motor sport and as a team that brings additional pressures with it, but as a team we are trying our best to support both drivers equally and both drivers are very much still in this Championship."

Source: Planet-F1

Button was a 'sacrificial lamb' - Horner

Red Bull suspects McLaren was trying to use Jenson Button as a "sacrificial lamb" at the Japanese Grand Prix to boost Lewis Hamilton's chances, until a gearbox problem put a halt to the strategy.

Button started the race on hard tyres, allowing him to run longer than his rivals and take the lead of the race, ahead of the Red Bulls, midway through the race. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Button's alternative strategy was a deliberate attempt by McLaren to back the faster Red Bulls into Fernando Alonso and Hamilton behind, to give the second McLaren driver a chance to catch up.

"We were a bit concerned by Jenson's race strategy, as we knew we would come out behind him and then he started to back everybody up towards Hamilton," Horner told the Daily Telegraph. "It was sort of like being in a McLaren sandwich. But then it looked like Hamilton developed a problem and they aborted that strategy for Jenson. It looked a little bit like he was a sacrificial lamb. I don't know. It just seemed strange."

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh admitted that it was possible to use Button as a blocker, but insisted the strategy was optimised to give Button the best possible opportunity to make up time when he changed to the softer tyre.

"Yes there was [the possibility to do that]," Whitmarsh said. "But at that point we also had to consider Jenson. We wanted to give him enough time on the option tyre, to have a go. If we had left him out there longer... it is not how we play our game. Maybe others would but that is not how we go motor racing."

He added: "Ultimately, that strategy didn't come off as best we'd have liked because the others' option tyres didn't fall away as quickly as we'd anticipated. Still, we feel it was a strategic choice worth taking. After switching to options, Jenson showed excellent pace, and I think we had the second fastest car today."

Source: ESPNF1