Sebastian Vettel reckons the public perception of his relationship with Mark Webber does not align with reality. Mostly perception has been shaped from the fallout of three races, the 2010 Turkish GP, 2010 British GP and the 2013 Malaysian GP.
Vettel’s theory is his professional relationship with Webber and Red Bull has produced a record of which only one outcome can be reached: it has been successful.
“I think generally people have a worse impression of the relationship that we’ve had,” Vettel said. “People tend to forget how successful we have been; I think it has been one of the strongest pairings in Formula One. Obviously we didn’t have the best relationship on a personal level but I think in terms of working professionally together for the team it has been very strong.”
The theory that Mark has been great at setting up and developing cars will be put to the test next year when Formula 1 switches to its new era of turbocharged V6 “power units” instead of normally aspirated V8 engines.
“Both of us have tried very hard to improve the car and surely the fact that he will not be around next year will be a loss for the team,” added Vettel. “A loss for myself because it has been always a huge challenge. I’ve learned a lot from him and I can stand up straight and say that there were many times and many places where I benefited from him.
“You could obviously say the same thing the other way around but I think—as I said—we’ve been extremely successful together and in that regard for sure it will be a hit for the team. But equally it is a new season, a new step next year anyway and with Daniel coming in a new time starts as well.”
[Source: ESPN | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]