Safety car conspiracy theory surfaces
Dr Helmut Marko has confirmed Red Bull’s suspicion that the safety car was called onto the Valencia circuit on Sunday to aid ‘the show’.
After retiring from a comfortable lead with a broken Red Bull on Sunday, an angry Sebastian Vettel said he thought the safety car period was called not just to clear debris but also “to break our neck”. Indeed, the neutralisation of the race allowed Romain Grosjean to catch up and thereby breathed life into the contest, and it also may have contributed to Vettel’s terminal car problem.
“It just went to sh**,” Vettel shrugged. “I think it was clear to see that (until then) we were pulling away without problems.”
Red Bull’s motor sport consultant Marko backed Vettel’s theory.
“Vettel was too far ahead and so the field was brought back together,” the Austrian is quoted as saying on German television, “just as they do in American racing.”
German Sky television pundit Marc Surer, however, doubted Red Bull’s conspiracy theory is true.
“I don’t think it was intentional against Vettel,” said the Swiss, insisting it was right to give marshals the cover of the safety car to clear the track of crash debris. “But I am sure it is going to be discussed,” he added.
Surer also played down the new controversy about the legality of the RB8′s latest developments; namely the ‘double floor’ that was credited for Vettel’s pole gap and winning pace in Spain.
“It is being discussed,” said Surer, “but I remember that Toro Rosso had a false floor like this and no one said anything.”
Source:GMM
John K Waggener | Jun 25, 2012 | Reply
This is the main reason NO ONE can like RedBull!!!!! They compete with an illegal car, no penalty. When something goes against them they cry foul! they are the worst of the worst!
Zeitgeist1377 | Jun 25, 2012 | Reply
Yes, it was a covert mission. AND, had Vettel’s car not broken down, Valencia race organizers had decided to blow the track, bombard the RB8 and call in TITANS to make them lose this race. It was part of a big controversy. SMART RED BULL !!!
Nicki Bo Otte | Jun 26, 2012 | Reply
The teams uses different strategies and Red Bull was using a strategy where they haven’t hoped for a safetycar. It would have been a perfect strategy for Vettel if the safetycar didn’t join in, you all saw him run away smoothly, but for safety they brought it in. It’s stupid, brilliant and a great risk at the same time for the Red Bulls to use that strategy.
RBWhinge | Jun 26, 2012 | Reply
I thought that there was an official F1 rule that states participants must not bring the sport into dis-repute. Surely Marko and Vettel are guilty of that with this statement – so shouldn’t they be penalised?
Vettel (the child) lost the race because his car broke, he ought to quit whinging and get over it, like all the adults he competes against do when it happens to them.