Christian Horner has defended Sebastian Vettel’s overtake of Mark Webber in the Malaysian Grand Prix, claiming that the Australian driver would have made the same move had the roles been reversed.
“If Mark Webber had been in that position… we have seen him do the same. Let’s not kid ourselves that this is something unique to Sebastian,” Horner told the Daily Mail.
“He is a race driver, a fiercely competitive individual. You don’t win 27 Grands Prix and three world championships without being a very driven individual.”
Horner had previously called Vettel’s move “silly”, refusing to take the side of either driver. However, following criticism from many members of the paddock, Horner has spoken out to defend triple-champion Vettel, but he did admit that it is impossible to control his drivers on track.
“At times you do not have control of them, as much as you would like to. All you rely on is that they respect each other, the team and the equipment.”
Regardless, Horner believes that Vettel and Webber can still work together well, and repair their relationship in order to prevent Red Bull’s championship challenge being negatively affected.
“They have won three constructors’ championships for the team. As a pairing they have been one of the most successful in Formula One history.
“In three months you go from winning a double world championship in Austin and Brazil, then suddenly it is a drama and a crisis despite a one-two finish in the second grand prix.”
Horner’s comments will only fuel the rumors that Webber could be set to leave Red Bull at the end of the season, backing up his claim on the podium that Vettel has “protection.”
