Press mocks Vettel's 'phantom' gearbox problem
Global Motorsport Media
The international press suspects Red Bull imposed team orders during the season ending Brazilian Grand Prix.
The team has already strongly denied the claims, but publications like Spain's Marca suspect Sebastian Vettel pulled over for Mark Webber because of a "phantom problem" with his gearbox.
"Webber gets the loyalty prize," said Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Agreed Corriere della Sera: "Vettel gave Webber the gift of the last crumbs after a huge feast and saved him a trip to the psychologist."
Spain's Diario Sport added: "Nobody believes Vettel really had a problem with the gearbox."
Austria's Der Standard said the team order "made sense", given Webber's mathematical chance of finishing the drivers' championship in second place.
Maybe they forget that team orders can now be issued freely
Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali is quoted as joking to La Stampa: "Maybe they forget that team orders can now be issued freely."
Agreed Fernando Alonso: "I don't care, except to say that they were bothered with certain behaviours when we did them."
Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, however, reported that Vettel personally watched when his gearbox was taken apart after the race and confirmed that "there was almost no oil left in it".
Share Or Save This Story
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
Fernando Alonso set for Dakar Rally comeback with Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso’s idea to ‘save’ F1 before the V8 return – and how realistic it is
Charles Leclerc admits he missed a chance against Max Verstappen – but not the obvious one
Why Charles Leclerc failed to outbrake Max Verstappen in Turn 1 at Singapore GP
'Senior moment' or breakdown of trust? The implications of Hamilton's Singapore GP meltdown
WSJ Report: NASCAR is building 80+ race cars for Days of Thunder sequel
Brennan Poole to leave Alpha Prime Racing; team owners 'disappointed' to see him go
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Winners and losers from NASCAR Cup at Charlotte after dramatic finish
'Senior moment' or breakdown of trust? The implications of Hamilton's Singapore GP meltdown
What we learned from the 2026 F1 Singapore GP sprint and qualifying
How Honda plans a return to being an F1 powerhouse
Why Red Bull's 'crazy' power unit success matters so much for F1
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments