Who else than former F1 Mark Webber can explain the rivalry that exists between the teammates of a Formula 1 team?
During five consecutive years, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel fought hard at Red Bull Racing.
During a visit to Red Bull sports show Sport und Talk, Webber described what went so wrong between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes AMG.
This past weekend, the pair touched on lap 2 of the Belgian Grand Prix, damaging Rosberg’s front wing and causing a puncture to Hamilton’s left rear tire.
“This is not just about one incident in one corner,” Webber said.
“Obviously this whole situation has been brewing like it always does inside the teams and you’ve got two guys fighting for victories”.
Webber continued: “Well, it’s ... a passing move. Nico is trying to have a look on the outside, but it’s Lewis’s corner.
“At this point (moments before the contact) Nico knows he has no chance to get the move done. It’s strange that he tried to come in so tight behind Lewis.
“It wouldn’t have been a big deal at all ... it would have been nothing if there was no puncture, but the puncture changed the whole race. In the end both of their races were in trouble,” Webber continued.
Mercedes AMG now made of two teams?
The new Porsche driver thinks that the Mercedes team’s management, comprising of Toto Wolff, Paddy Lowe and Niki Lauda, is going to have a tough time getting the pair to work together again.
“Now we have a very difficult situation at Mercedes where the drivers are not enjoying a good relationship,” Webber declared.
“It’s going to be interesting, not just for the rest of this year but can they drive together in the future? Is it okay for 2015 for the team to have the two guys together?
“The thing is, who is now going to try to put this back together? Is it the people who pay Niki’s and Toto’s wages? Because at the end of the day, if the drivers are not listening to these guys, do they have to say, ‘Lewis and Nico, you go chat to the big guys at Mercedes, because they’re paying you guys to get the job done in a team environment.’ At the moment it’s not a team, it looks like the drivers are doing their own thing’. Webber said.
Media nightmare in Monza
Webber predicts the Italian Grand Prix in Monza to be a nightmare for the entire Mercedes team.
“The (tought) thing is for the drivers to stay focused on driving the cars now, because for them it’s going to be a nightmare. The Thursday, the Friday, all the stuff out of the car, the media ... and this will just keep going up,” Webber explained.
“Let me tell you, when they get to the track, they’ll only be thinking about each other. There’s no one else really in the race. They are really only focused on beating each other, and that’s what happens when you have a car that is so dominant,” Mark Webber told.
During five consecutive years, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel fought hard at Red Bull Racing.
During a visit to Red Bull sports show Sport und Talk, Webber described what went so wrong between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes AMG.
This past weekend, the pair touched on lap 2 of the Belgian Grand Prix, damaging Rosberg’s front wing and causing a puncture to Hamilton’s left rear tire.
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| Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2) |
“This is not just about one incident in one corner,” Webber said.
“Obviously this whole situation has been brewing like it always does inside the teams and you’ve got two guys fighting for victories”.
Webber continued: “Well, it’s ... a passing move. Nico is trying to have a look on the outside, but it’s Lewis’s corner.
“At this point (moments before the contact) Nico knows he has no chance to get the move done. It’s strange that he tried to come in so tight behind Lewis.
“It wouldn’t have been a big deal at all ... it would have been nothing if there was no puncture, but the puncture changed the whole race. In the end both of their races were in trouble,” Webber continued.
Mercedes AMG now made of two teams?
The new Porsche driver thinks that the Mercedes team’s management, comprising of Toto Wolff, Paddy Lowe and Niki Lauda, is going to have a tough time getting the pair to work together again.
“Now we have a very difficult situation at Mercedes where the drivers are not enjoying a good relationship,” Webber declared.
“It’s going to be interesting, not just for the rest of this year but can they drive together in the future? Is it okay for 2015 for the team to have the two guys together?
“The thing is, who is now going to try to put this back together? Is it the people who pay Niki’s and Toto’s wages? Because at the end of the day, if the drivers are not listening to these guys, do they have to say, ‘Lewis and Nico, you go chat to the big guys at Mercedes, because they’re paying you guys to get the job done in a team environment.’ At the moment it’s not a team, it looks like the drivers are doing their own thing’. Webber said.
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| Complexe situation for Niki Lauda and Paddy Lowe at Mercedes AMG. (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team) |
Media nightmare in Monza
Webber predicts the Italian Grand Prix in Monza to be a nightmare for the entire Mercedes team.
“The (tought) thing is for the drivers to stay focused on driving the cars now, because for them it’s going to be a nightmare. The Thursday, the Friday, all the stuff out of the car, the media ... and this will just keep going up,” Webber explained.
“Let me tell you, when they get to the track, they’ll only be thinking about each other. There’s no one else really in the race. They are really only focused on beating each other, and that’s what happens when you have a car that is so dominant,” Mark Webber told.