Red Bull assures that Vettel’s problem was real

It took until the last race of the season, in Brazil, for Mark Webber to finally claim a victory in 2011, while his teammate – and Red Bull with him – outrageously dominated the season. The Australian, who was still in contention for the honorary title of runner-up to Sebastian Vettel, took advantage of the latter’s misfortunes in Brazil, being a comfortable leader at the start of the race before suffering a gearbox problem: “It happened quite quickly,” explained the winner of the Brazilian Grand Prix in a press conference. “I thought he either had tire problems earlier than he should have, or no more KERS or something else, because Seb doesn’t lose his driving ability from one lap to the next. […] Then I was informed that he had a gearbox problem, and I think I could feel it a bit as I got closer to him, and there was also a bit of fluid. […] I thought with the number of laps remaining, he wouldn’t finish, but the car saw the finish, and that’s it.”

The double world champion from Germany indeed finished in second place, at a respectable distance behind Mark Webber, but after a race he himself compared to Senna’s at Interlagos in 1991, minus the victory: « The problem manifested during my first stint. At one point, I was informed that we had a gearbox problem. It sounded rough and seemed quite serious, so I lowered the engine speed and immediately started to shorten my gear shifts, but it only got worse. […] I tried to make it clear over the radio that I wouldn’t be able to keep the lead with the pace we had or with everything they were asking me to do to preserve the gearbox, and then I had to say something like « OK, but obviously, warn Mark » or « Tell Mark I’m going to let him pass » so that he could keep pushing, not waste time with me because at that moment, I didn’t know if I would see the checkered flag. […] I pushed where I could, in the corners, but as soon as I was on the straights, I had to shift gears faster. […] I tried to stay with Mark as much as I could, in case the problem resolved itself […] but in the end, I only managed to maintain the gap. »

However, his gearbox problem did not prevent the German from setting the fastest lap during the race at one point, as noted by Livio Oricchio, correspondent for the newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo, during the press conference: « As I said, I reduced the engine speed, I felt good in the car, I felt better and better with the tires after the first stint, and I kept up the pace relatively well, so I tried to stay close to Mark and attack where the gearbox allowed me. […] You can believe me, if I had the choice, I would have preferred to compete for the victory. »

« From the outside, people can say what they want, but as a driver, you learn to adapt to the situation » explains Jenson Button. « If you’re asked to save fuel or brakes, you adapt and change your driving style. Several times this year, we were asked to save fuel, and we could drive at the same pace as before after five or six laps because we adapt and drive differently. That’s what we’re paid for. »

The fact remains that the race was marked by two significant technical failures that some could attribute to the very understandable end-of-season relaxation: « Do I think it’s due to the mechanics’ fatigue? Or the Brazilian cocktails? You never know, the season has been long, maybe it’s just a coincidence » suggests Mark Webber.

For his part, Sebastian Vettel does not think that the gearbox problems encountered this weekend are linked to the circuit or to the wear of mechanical components at the end of the season: « My gearbox was brand new, so it was its first race. Maybe we should have kept the old one, I don’t know. I do think the circuit is quite demanding, but on the other hand, there are places that are worse like street circuits […] The wear on the part would be a bit strange after less than one race. »

Bizarre! Yet this is the word that many observers, including Stefano Domenicali, who was heavily criticized for the racing orders given at the 2010 German Grand Prix, kept repeating. According to Auto Motor und Sport, he ironically said on Sunday: « They are really good at solving problems. »

Christian Horner, on the other hand, obviously contests any conspiracy theory: « Of course, there will always be people who have theories, but I’m adamant, the way this gearbox held up until the end of the race amazes me. Fortunately, it did hold up. If anyone thinks we concocted this in any way, I can absolutely guarantee, hand on heart, and with my blood pressure on the pit wall as a witness, that you can rest assured: there was indeed a problem. »

« Usually, Adrian Newey finds that there’s too much oil in the gearbox, but I think now he understands why there’s so much of it », Helmut Marko joked on the airwaves of RTL.