Annoyed Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber to quickly get over a run-in that cost the team a likely 1-2 sweep at the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday.
Horner blamed both drivers for the incident that demoted Webber from first to third and forced Vettel out of the race after 40 laps. The drivers were left pointing fingers at each other after the incident when Vettel passed Webber on the inside but tried to close off his teammate too early, resulting in their wheels touching and his car spinning off track and out of the race.
"I'm annoyed that they both got themselves into that situation — they're both at fault," Horner said. "We should have had a clear 1-2 finish.
"It's the one request I have for the drivers: give each other room, give each other respect. From a team point-of-view it's the worst possible thing you can see."
Vettel motioned angrily at Webber as he spun past him into the gravel before emerging from his cockpit to make a "he's crazy" sign about his teammate.
"I'm not in the happiest of moods," said Vettel, who has seen Webber surpass him in recent races. "Mark's car hit my rear right wheel and I went off — there's not much more to say."
Webber, who still led the overall drivers' standings despite finishing third, called the whole thing "a disaster" as Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were able to move ahead for a McLaren 1-2 finish.
"I was surprised when he came right suddenly, as I was holding my racing line," said the Australian driver, who was looking for a third straight win from pole position. "We're going for victories so there's clearly a lot at stake. I'll have a chat with Sebastian about it, we might have a difference of opinion but we'll be adults about it and press on."
Horner said Vettel cut over too early but that Webber should have backed off as his German teammate had better pace.
"Both drivers drive for the team, no individual is bigger than the team," Horner said. "To give away 28 points to McLaren ... it's very frustrating."
Just afterward, Hamilton and Button swapped the lead through the same section with some exciting overtaking maneuvering that left neither out of the running.
"We don't have instructions," Hamilton said. "We're racing."
Horner said the team would sit down to clear the air before the Canadian GP in two weeks.
"They're big boys and if you look at the McLaren drivers they gave each other room, they raced each other hard and I didn't see two McLarens in the fence so it's really disappointing," Horner said. "We need to make sure we go to the next race and make sure that as a team we learn from this and not put ourselves in this position again."
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said Red Bull was getting a taste of what it was like managing two winning drivers.
"They were always trying to squeeze (tension) between Fernando
(Alonso) and Felipe (Massa) and at the moment they are facing this
situation on their side," Domenicali said. "We feel team spirit is
the most important thing."
