Red Bull to ‘abandon team orders’ ahead of Chinese GP

London: Formula One team Red Bull has admitted that they are unable to control their warring drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, and have largely abandoned the concept of team orders ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. That is the outcome of the Malaysian GP, when Vettel`s alarming decision to disregard pit-wall instructions by the team principal Christian Horner to remain behind Webber lobbed a large incendiary device into Red Bull.

Horner, who insisted that the incident is not threat to his authority, said that the team will not impose team orders on their drivers at the end of a race, as he feared of a similar incident happening in the future if Vettel and Webber again finds themselves in a position to win in the final 10 laps of a Grand Prix. However, Horner said that he expected the drivers to act on the information that they get from their team, adding that team will ensure that both Vettel and Webber are aware of the fact that they may risk facing punishments if they do not deal with the necessary orders. Admitting that he knew exactly what Vettel was about to do in Malaysia, Horner said that he knew that it would be difficult to control Vettel from disobeying the orders, given the strained history between him and Webber. Quipping that Vettel and Webber will never spend Christmas together, Horner said that the tense relation between the two team-mates have existed for the last four or five years, during which time the team has won more than 2,000 points with them, 36 Grands Prix and six world championships. Angry at suggestions that it is now Vettel who runs the team instead of him, Horner said that the reigning world champion had apologised to him and the team for his actions, adding that he is aware of why he has been employed by the team. Further defending Vettel, Horner said that Vettel had made the decision as a hungry driver. ANI