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Red Bull Controversy To Have No Quick End, Hamilton Unhappy After Save Fuel ‘Instructions’

Dyed-in-the-wool racer Martin Brundle on Monday said he sees no quick end to Red Bull's new self-induced crisis.

“I doubt that trip across the Atlantic for the next round in Montreal will extinguish these fireworks,” the BBC comme


Dyed-in-the-wool racer Martin Brundle on Monday said he sees no quick end to Red Bull's new self-induced crisis.

"I doubt that trip across the Atlantic for the next round in Montreal will extinguish these fireworks," the BBC commentator said on Monday, as the international media got to work on Sebastian Vettel's crash at Istanbul Park with race leader and teammate Mark Webber.

The Sun's headline referred to the one-two gift handed to McLaren, toying with the energy drink's slogan by insisting "Red Bull gives you wins".

Other sections of the press were more serious.

"Red Bull has a conflict of jealously and betrayal," Spain's El Mundo newspaper wrote.

Italy's La Repubblica likened the previously dominant team's self-destruction to "suicide".

Britain's The Independent referred to the fact that Webber, branded crazy by Vettel's gesticulations and told by his bosses that he should have let the young German past, must now have the impression he is the number two driver.

Webber acknowledged that Vettel's gesticulations were caused by the "adrenalin" of the moment, but "Red Bull need to take steps to ensure the current world championship leader can have complete faith that the support within the team is spread evenly", said the newspaper.

And Germany's Auto Motor und Sport noted that the 33-year-old is "not the kind of guy who is told to finish second".

Strangely within the paddock, it was only the Red Bull bosses who thought Webber had done something wrong.

"Where should Mark have gone?" Lewis Hamilton - who had a box-seat view of the incident that unfolded in front of him - told German television's Sky.

"I think the gap he left him was big enough."

"Even though Jenson and I both want to win, we also have respect for each other. I'm really happy that I have such a good relationship with my teammate."

Said Mercedes' Nico Rosberg: "Mark didn't move at all. For me, it was clearly Sebastian's fault."

Niki Lauda said the 22-year-old had been "much too aggressive", and former driver Alex Wurz noted in Turkey: "All my racing colleagues are in agreement that it was Vettel's fault."

Ross Brawn thinks these situations can be minimised if drivers know clearly the rules of engagement.

"It depends on what has been said beforehand," the Mercedes team boss is quoted by Die Welt newspaper. "Although it's racing, the rules must be known to the drivers."

Peter Sauber, meanwhile, had some sympathy for Christian Horner, admitting to Blick newspaper in Switzerland that these situations are "a nightmare for a team chief".

(GMM)

Joy Becomes Crisis As Red Bull Implodes In Turkey

May 31 (GMM) Having arrived with a dominant car and leading both world championships, Red Bull has departed Turkey in crisis.

"They step on their tails too often," said BBC commentator Martin Brundle, after Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel crashed while running one-two at Istanbul Park.

Crash and loss of tempers aside, the team's management then misled the media about Webber's fuel-saving engine setting and gave the undoubtable impression that it is the young German Vettel who they want to win the 2010 title.

Compounding the team-induced mess is that the isolated Webber, 33 - who had been in the midst of contract negotiations about 2011 - is now the clear leader of the world championship.

Even Webber's race engineer Ciaran Pilbeam has been put offside. When asked why Webber was not told that Vettel was much faster, Marko told Auto Motor und Sport: "We told his engineer but he did not pass on the information."

Dr Helmut Marko, believed to be leading the German-speaking faction of the Austrian-owned team, denied that Red Bull is poisoned by an internal division.

"That's not true. We are handling our team and both drivers in the same way."

The speed of the crisis is marked out by the memories of just two weeks ago, when Vettel and Webber exaltedly leapt off the motor home into the Monaco harbour.

"I'm sure they are not going to be going out for dinner in the coming days," Marko said when asked if Sunday had destroyed their relationship.

For many in the paddock, despite their apparent media-savvy humour, Red Bull has never been the friendliest team in the paddock.

"They were always trying to squeeze (tension) between Fernando (Alonso) and Felipe (Massa) and at the moment they are facing this situation on their side," said Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali.

Referring to his Maranello employer, Fernando Alonso said: "It shows that there is a united team in the paddock."

"The important thing is to have respect," Felipe Massa added.

Team boss Christian Horner insists he will sort out the mess before Canada, after a patch-up job in the Turkey paddock proved impossible because Vettel had stormed out of the circuit.

"One of our drivers has gone," Marko confirmed when asked by the press late on Sunday.

(GMM)

Hamilton Unhappy After Save Fuel 'Instructions'

Lewis Hamilton on Sunday was visibly not jubilant as he accepted the winner's trophy for the twelfth time in his career.

It emerges that the 2008 was unhappy not with teammate Jenson Button's feisty racing from behind while the pair were running first and second at Istanbul, but the prior "communication" from the McLaren pitwall.

"The communication wasn't clear for me," said the Briton, who fought back and re-passed Button after they had been told to save fuel.

"When they suggested 'save this much fuel' it was not easy unless I went ridiculously slowly.

"I tried to reach that target and in doing so Jenson all of a sudden appeared from nowhere."

Button confirmed that his attempt to take the lead from the sister MP4-25 came after he was also asked to save fuel.

"After that (incident) it was back to full save mode for me," said the reigning world champion.

The Daily Star newspaper interpreted the save fuel instructions from McLaren as a veiled order for the pair to "Cut it out!"

But Hamilton insisted: "We don't have instructions."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner saw the behaviour of Hamilton and Button as a lesson to his own drivers.

"When drivers are in the same team it is important they give each other a bit more respect and concede if one has got a run on the other," he said.

Hamilton said he had a front-row seat to Sebastian Vettel's crash with Mark Webber, and sided strongly with those who put the blame at the young German's door.

"He did the exact same thing to me as he did to Mark. It was dangerous. He was so quick, so aggressive as he tried to turn into me, fortunately I had enough space," said the Briton.

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