Former Renault Boss Flavio Briatore spoke out about Mark Webber's future at Red Bull Racing, saying he did not expect the Aussie to stay on for the 2014 season.
The Italian was speaking after the controversial disobeying of team orders by Sebastian Vettel at the Malaysian Grand Prix. He said that Webber and Vettel will not be able to remain as team-mates after this season finishes.
When asked if he expected Webber of Vettel to move on by RAI Radio he said "That's for sure, last year, already, there were problems. Their car is very competitive so drivers want to stay there, but (Sepang) was proof that no one is in charge at Red Bull. Vettel is the boss there. You can't have a team managed also doing the driving."
Briatore has long been involved with managing Webber's career and said the trust between himself and Vettel has gone. "I think there's no relationship anymore. Vettel says he will help Mark, but Mark doesn't need any help. He should have won the race, and it's possible that Vettel will win every other race."
Red Bull reacted to Briatore's comments in a statement given to the BBC.
It said "We are two races into the current season and it's far too early to be talking about 2014."
The team then added "Mark and Seb have driven together since 2009 and the pairing has achieved 35 wins, 80 podiums, 13 one-two finishes and six Formula 1 world championships.
"This successful period includes some spells of intense on-track rivalry between the two drivers, which began in Turkey 2010 and has seen both drivers ignoring team orders at different times. The team has managed the situation each time in its own way behind closed doors."
The team said it was pure "speculation" that Mark would leave the team in 2014, before adding "Mark's contract has been renewed for the last few years on an annual basis - he has continually chosen to drive for the team each year and the team has similarly wanted to continue working with him, as he is an excellent driver and competitive racer."
The Red Bull story has been one of the biggest to emerge from a race weekend in some time and one that will be discussed further over the coming weeks. Red Bull are obviously dealing with the situation behind closed doors and will be back, ready to race in China with the future in mind.
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| (c) Sky Sports F1 |
When asked if he expected Webber of Vettel to move on by RAI Radio he said "That's for sure, last year, already, there were problems. Their car is very competitive so drivers want to stay there, but (Sepang) was proof that no one is in charge at Red Bull. Vettel is the boss there. You can't have a team managed also doing the driving."
Briatore has long been involved with managing Webber's career and said the trust between himself and Vettel has gone. "I think there's no relationship anymore. Vettel says he will help Mark, but Mark doesn't need any help. He should have won the race, and it's possible that Vettel will win every other race."
Red Bull reacted to Briatore's comments in a statement given to the BBC.
It said "We are two races into the current season and it's far too early to be talking about 2014."
The team then added "Mark and Seb have driven together since 2009 and the pairing has achieved 35 wins, 80 podiums, 13 one-two finishes and six Formula 1 world championships.
"This successful period includes some spells of intense on-track rivalry between the two drivers, which began in Turkey 2010 and has seen both drivers ignoring team orders at different times. The team has managed the situation each time in its own way behind closed doors."
The team said it was pure "speculation" that Mark would leave the team in 2014, before adding "Mark's contract has been renewed for the last few years on an annual basis - he has continually chosen to drive for the team each year and the team has similarly wanted to continue working with him, as he is an excellent driver and competitive racer."
The Red Bull story has been one of the biggest to emerge from a race weekend in some time and one that will be discussed further over the coming weeks. Red Bull are obviously dealing with the situation behind closed doors and will be back, ready to race in China with the future in mind.
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