Report – Red Bull misses the podium but confirms its potential

Without a controversial diffuser or KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), the Red Bull RB5 performed very well throughout the Australian weekend and was very close to the podium in the race. Sebastian Vettel, who spent most of the race in second position, never more than six seconds behind leader Button, experienced an extremely difficult final stint on soft tires and ended his race with a collision with Kubica, who was challenging him for his position.

Mark Webber, the local hero, couldn’t shine at home due to a collision at the first corner with Barrichello. The Australian finished his ordeal a lap down, in 13th position.

No results, then, but the competitiveness of the car designed by Adrian Newey has not gone unnoticed, and the Red Bull team can harbor great ambitions for the rest of the season.

Mark Webber – 13th:

« It’s frustrating for my home race. I was very disappointed to drive the whole race with a damaged car. I wanted a good result for the fans today, but we will do our best to come back in the next race. It would have been great to get a good result here. My start wasn’t too bad. I went into turn 1 making sure I had enough space, but Rubens hit the side of my car quite violently. I lost a lot of downforce, we had major damage, and I was no longer able to attack anyone after that. It was a tough day for the team, but we will come back; I’m glad Malaysia is only in a week. »

Sebastian Vettel – Retirement:

« We were in a good position with second place, but a few laps before the finish, I had a stupid accident with Robert [Kubica]. At the moment when my pace dropped, I was ahead, but I could no longer maintain my speed in the corners and Robert, on hard tires, was much faster. At the moment of the collision, he was ahead, but I had nowhere to go, I couldn’t stop the car or turn, my tires were destroyed. It was a shame; it meant the end of the race for both of us. Should I have let him pass? You always want to fight. Maybe I should have let him pass and brought the car to the finish in third position, but that’s life. »

« I tried to defend myself, and until halfway through the corner, I was right but I didn’t have the grip to avoid the collision. I’m sorry for the team and also for Robert, because I not only ended my race but also his. The team did a good job, we worked very hard during the winter and the car seems to be very good. We had a good pace today, so overall we have a reason to smile. »

Christian Horner – Team Principal:

A completely disheartening end to what had been a superb race for Sebastian. He had a good pace throughout the race and was trying to stay in touch with Button. He had an impeccable race, but I suppose a racing incident with Kubica at the end with soft tires will remain a marginal fact, as we were two laps away from a very good result. On the positive side, the car’s pace was really good. It was upheld in our qualifying and we can be confident for the next race in Malaysia in just a week’s time.

« Mark was unfortunately involved in an accident on the first lap that wrecked his home race. We chose to keep him on track in order to accumulate mileage with the car. The final result is disappointing after such hard work from the team here and in Milton Keynes, the team didn’t deserve the finish we had today, but we will fight next weekend. »