Red Bull mechanic scolds 'cheat' Button
By Motorsport.com/GMM
At least one Red Bull team member did not see the funny side after Jenson Button drove into the wrong area for a pitstop in China.
"He is obviously so eager to drive for Red Bull that he wanted to stop there," joked team boss Christian Horner, after McLaren's Button stopped for service on Sunday surrounded by the gesticulating blue-clad Red Bull pit crew.
Button realised his error quickly and did not hold up the chasing Sebastian Vettel, who in fact took race position from the Briton.
"I was like 'Oh my god, I can't believe I just did that'," the red-faced 2009 world champion said afterwards.
Button's own boss Martin Whitmarsh was not overly impressed but he saw the funny side, describing the faux pas as "comical" and joking that his driver "must have liked the look of Red Bull's tyres".
British comedy lover Vettel smiled when asked about Button's mistake but also furrowed his brow to point out the more serious side.
"I lost a little bit of time because I waited, I didn't want to stop and then go again. It's also not easy for the (pit) guys, it's very easy to lose the rhythm," said the reigning champion.
Even more irritated was Red Bull's left-rear wheel-gun operator Mark Lenton, otherwise known as Mark Webber's number one mechanic 'Crunch'.
"I realised they were cheating from the beginning," he said when asked about the incident by the BBC's David Coulthard after the race.
I thought it was a very cheeky move to try to slow us down
"I was pretty disappointed when he wanted to stop, to slow us down," added Lenton.
Asked by Coulthard if he was joking, 'Crunch' - clarifying that his view was a personal opinion rather than a team one - continued: "I honestly think they were trying to cheat.
"I thought it was a very cheeky move to try to slow us down."
Share Or Save This Story
Fernando Alonso earns Michael Schumacher comparison from Jenson Button
Who belongs on F1's Mount Rushmore? Pick your four greatest drivers
Jenson Button identifies key reason behind Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari resurgence
Andrea Stella: McLaren must help Oscar Piastri stop "thinking" about how to drive '26 F1 car
Lando Norris lost Madring F1 win because of impossible overtaking – McLaren
F1 doesn't need to change its VSC rules despite Lando Norris' Spain loss
Max Verstappen takes just 14 laps to overtake 100 amateur karters in manic event
Hendrick to bring back iconic neon yellow car numbers for 2027
NASCAR changes wet-weather tire policy for Bristol to give teams more control
Max Verstappen beats the 100 in blistering time as it happened
F1 doesn't need to change its VSC rules despite Lando Norris' Spain loss
Why Lando Norris doesn’t buy George Russell’s driving style theory
How Kimi Antonelli is proving unbeatable, even when he's beaten
How Norris unfurled a surprising - and "unrepeatable" - Spanish GP pole lap
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