This weekend’s Formula 1 Grand Prix in China should be interesting. Sebastian Vettel’s act of mutiny against his Red Bull team three weeks ago in Malaysia has been the subject of much scrutiny, and judging by comments made in the past couple of days he’s not as repentant as he first seemed, which is as disappointing as it is surprising.
There are few true racing fans who like the idea of team orders – it is, essentially, a way of fixing results – but it’s an understandable evil when there is a championship at stake. However, Malaysia was only the second race in the F1 calendar, and Vettel defied team orders to overtake teammate Mark Webber purely because of his desire to win. It didn’t matter that he undermined Christina Horner’s authority as Team Principal or that he was screwing over a long-standing colleague who has, contrary to Vettel’s recent suggestions, always supported Vettel and the team when it mattered. Some have posited that Vettel was entitled to go for the win, and indeed it’s true that of the two racers Vettel is the most likely candidate for the championship this year. Webber might not want to admit it, but he has always been Number 2 to Vettel, both in terms of long-term performance and team preference. There are many great drivers who were never quite champion material, and unfortunately Webber is one of them. I suspect he knows this, too. Nevertheless, he has always supported his team, and he did not deserve to be treated in such a manner by Vettel.
Michael Schumacher was another champion who too often did whatever it took to win, no matter how arrogant, callous or damaging his actions might seem. He was a great racer – the sport’s most successful – but his reputation will forever be marred by his not-insignificant lapses of character. I truly hope that Vettel will not fall into the same trap: he’s always come across as a genuine, likeable person, and it would be a tragedy for a triple-World Champion to descend into
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