Criticise me but not my car, says Webber

Saturday, 9 June 2012 00:58 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Australian Mark Webber defended his Red Bull team from allegations of illegality on Thursday, saying he had won fair and square in Monaco with a car that passed every technical inspection.

Formula One’s governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) issued a technical directive to all teams last week clarifying the rules.

That was interpreted as being aimed mainly at reigning champions Red Bull, some of whose rivals had threatened to protest at the Monaco Grand Prix because of what they saw as an illegal hole in the car’s floor.

Webber told an official news conference ahead of Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix that, as a driver, he would not know whether his car’s floor had been changed or not as a result of that note.

“On the driving side, we’re very optimistic that the change won’t make much difference at all,” he added.

“You won’t believe us but we had some changes for Valencia (the next race in Spain after Montreal) anyway which included no hole, irrespective of the rule change, so that’s what we were doing.

“In relation to winning races with an illegal car, I’m happy to be called lots of things and I’m happy to have criticism about my driving and lots of stuff, but I will not take criticism in that respect,” said the 35-year-old.

“It completely pisses me off to be honest, because the car has passed every single technical regulation after the race. “All of the teams that were against it did not make any protest after Monaco, the car passed the test after Bahrain...and now there has been a clarification on the rule, and the rule now is different.”

Red Bull’s double world champion Sebastian Vettel won in Bahrain, with the Renault powered team currently the only ones to have more than one race this season. Webber and Vettel are currently level on points, three behind Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso after a season that has thrown up six different winners in six races.

Red Bull have never won at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where McLaren have won for the last two years with Lewis Hamilton in 2010 and Jenson Button in a rain-hit epic in 2011 in which he passed Vettel on the last lap.

“Seb was very close last year but lost the concentration at the end and Jenson was there to capitalise,” said Webber. “I think that judging by how the start of the season has gone, there is every chance that we can still do well here.

“I think that there’s no real form card. We come here confident but not crazy on confidence.”