Watson: Red Bull should (s) suspend Sebastian Vettel »

After a tumultuous Malaysian Grand Prix for Red Bull, there will undoubtedly be a before and after Sepang. Indeed, by ignoring team orders to secure a one-two finish, Sebastian Vettel not only incurred the wrath of his teammate but also that of his team.

If everyone remembers the clash of the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix that already gave Christian Horner headaches, the incident at the Malaysian Grand Prix is new in that, in addition to creating discord between the two teammates, the authority of the team director is weakened as it is openly challenged by his star driver: « If Christian Horner does not reaffirm his authority within the team, because he was completely overshadowed by Sebastian Vettel yesterday, then his position in the team is not exactly what it needs to be, » judges John Watson on BBC Radio 4.

For the former Brabham and McLaren driver, drastic problems call for drastic remedies on the side of Milton Keynes: « The only solution I see is to suspend Vettel for the next Grand Prix. We cannot take points away from him to give to Mark Webber: that’s now part of history and Sebastian benefits from seven additional points. We cannot fine him, it’s almost irrelevant to impose a fine on him, so the only pertinent solution to bring him to order is to tell him: “You will not participate in the next race. »

Watson also fears that the now-consummated rift between the German and the Australian may harm the team’s interests in the upcoming season, and therefore the interests of the triple world champion: « It will be a very acrimonious relationship. I don’t know what favor we could ask Mark Webber to help Sebastian Vettel if it comes up in the future. »

While many observers criticize Sebastian Vettel for his selfishness, Gerhard Berger believes that the German simply exhibited the characteristic behavior of drivers of his caliber: “If you look back through history, this kind of thing happens all the time. To win races, you need to be very, very talented, but to be world champion three, four, or five times, you have to be extremely selfish,” the Austrian remarked on BBC Radio Five Live. “What I mean is that these guys have such a killer instinct: it’s what leads them to become triple, quadruple, or quintuple world champions. In those moments, they simply can’t follow their brain; they just do what their instinct tells them. So, of course, after the race, he says he’s really sorry and that he can’t sleep over it, but I think he sleeps very well because it’s in his nature. On the other hand, that’s what makes him successful, and no one, not the team, not the team’s leaders, nor his teammate, no one can change that. I think he might be the best driver in the pack right now. He has everything it takes to be world champion, again and again.”