Sebastian Vettel today claimed he would “probably” ignore orders again if told not to overtake team-mate Mark Webber in future.
The German world champion for the past three seasons caused a storm when he defied Red Bull boss Christian Horner’s order to remain behind Webber and overtook to win the last race in Malaysia.
Asked if he would repeat his actions, the 25-year-old said: “I’m not sure I can give a proper answer because in the moment it might be different but I would probably do the same.”
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, Vettel revealed that his decision was “indirectly” related to past incidents when he felt Webber went against the team’s interests.
“There was more than one occasion in the past when he could have helped the team and he didn’t,” Vettel claimed.
He maintained he had not understood the order to stay behind Webber despite acknowledging that the code “Multi-21” — meaning the No2 car stays ahead of the No1 car — had been in use at the team for a long time.
However, Vettel then said he would have ignored any further order. “I would have thought about it and would probably have done the same thing,” he said.
Vettel laughed when asked if he had been punished. “There are lots of marks on my back,” he said. “What do you expect to happen? Make a suggestion.”
But he denied his decision effectively outranked Horner, adding: “That is not right. He is the boss, he is in control and is leading the team.”
Webber said he will finish the season at Red Bull and that things were “fine” within the team.
