Breaking news
Formula 1
Vettel breaks silence - 'I don't apologise'
With three consecutive titles, Sebastian Vettel is aiming for his fourth and he did apologised to Mark Webber and the Red Bull staff but as kept quiet about the pass for the victory in the Malaysia GP -- until now.
GMM
Edited: Apr 11, 2013, 6:31 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Apr.11 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has stepped away from post-Sepang apologies in the wake of the 'Multi-21' affair, suggesting the resulting controversy only frustrated him.
The German appeared contrite immediately after the Malaysian race, when he confessed that the implications of ignoring Red Bull's team order to settle for second place had "struck me like lightning".
He apologised not only to Mark Webber, but - according to team boss Christian Horner - also to Red Bull's hundreds of staff at Milton-Keynes.
But with the racing adrenaline set to flow again in China this weekend, the reigning triple world champion now insists: "I don't apologise for winning.
As a team I think we did a very good job with a fantastic result.
Sebastian Vettel
"That is why people employed me in the first place," Vettel said in an interview for Red Bull's title sponsor Infiniti.
"I love racing and that's what I did."
Vettel said his apology to Red Bull still stands because he put "himself above the team", but insists that he "did not mean" to do that.
British journalist Bob McKenzie wrote in the Express newspaper: "His words will only inflame the situation".
Vettel indicated that the controversy, which became known as the 'Multi-21' affair, frustrated him because it diverted attention from the real story of Malaysia.
"I think unfortunately people didn't see that we worked well on the day. As a team I think we did a very good job with a fantastic result.
"I think that's what people forgot," said the 25-year-old.
"What stuck in their heads was the way the race ended."
Even Vettel had to acknowledge that the saga will surely continue in the days ahead. John Watson, a veteran commentator and former F1 driver, thinks it will be impossible to ignore within the Red Bull team as well.
"The atmosphere in the garage in China will be crap," he told Sun newspaper.
"But if you create the monster then lose control of him, you are going to pay the price. What happened in Malaysia showed that Helmut Marko and Vettel wield the power in the team," added Watson.
Indeed, on the eve of the action in Shanghai, Marko announced that Red Bull has scrapped the sort of team orders that Vettel simply ignored in Malaysia.
"For Sebastian Vettel, that is a belated vindication," wrote Simon Pausch in Die Welt newspaper.
It is also reported that Vettel will keep his bonus prize money for winning in Malaysia.
Bild newspaper said Red Bull pays its drivers EUR 38,200 for every point scored. For a win, the bonus is just shy of a million euros.
Second place, in this case Webber, earned EUR 270,000 less than Vettel in Malaysia.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article F1 return 'might not happen' - Kubica
Next article Tyre situation causing team orders - Panis
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
GMM
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Formula 1
Formula 1
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Formula 1
Formula 1
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Formula 1
Formula 1
Chinese GP
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
More from
John Watson
Top 10 Brabham drivers ranked: Piquet, Lauda, Gurney and more
Formula 1
Formula 1
Top 10 Brabham drivers ranked: Piquet, Lauda, Gurney and more
1981 Canadian Grand Prix - Gilles Villeneuve never surrenders
Formula 1
Formula 1
Canadian GP
1981 Canadian Grand Prix - Gilles Villeneuve never surrenders
Autocourse back in time: the Lotus 79
Formula 1
Formula 1
Autocourse back in time: the Lotus 79
Latest news
Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 4 min
Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut
Pedro Acosta: "I'm going to Ducati to learn from Marc Marquez, not to beat him on same bike"
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Indonesian GP
1 h
Pedro Acosta: "I'm going to Ducati to learn from Marc Marquez, not to beat him on same bike"
Christian Horner admits that F1 rivalry with Toto Wolff became "theatre"
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 2 h
Christian Horner admits that F1 rivalry with Toto Wolff became "theatre"
Feature
Discover prime content
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.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe