Horner: Vettel didn't penalize Ricciardo at Chinese GP

Sebastian Vettel failed to hold on to his teammate Daniel Ricciardo behind his Red Bull at the Chinese Grand Prix, but it’s not for lack of trying. The four-time world champion received new instructions from his stand telling him to let the Australian who was faster than him pass. The German tried to resist until missing the rope in the first turn. The new recruit of Milton Keynes was able to find the opening but ultimately failed at 5”6 from the Ferrari de Fernando Alonso.

Sebastian Vettel's behavior could give rise to certain tensions within the Red Bull clan. Christian Horner seeks to calm things down. “Catching Fernando was one thing, but with the deficit we have in the long one kilometer straight, overtaking would have been another matter”, declared the Team Principal of Red Bull Racing in the paddock of the Shanghai circuit. “(Sebastian Vettel) is a competitor and he asked first of all what type of tires Daniel was on (on mediums, the same as the world champion). He didn't realize we were studying another strategy. He immediately let it pass when he saw that he couldn't keep up. This is unusual for Seb: he can't understand the car as well as before. He'll be back as soon as he gets there. »

Discover the analysis of the Chinese Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in issue 1957 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.