No Red Bull team ordersposted in F108 | 11 | 2010
IT'S THE burning question in Formula One: will Red Bull issue team orders in Abu Dhabi on Sunday in order to clinch the drivers' world championship? Well, according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner, no.
With his drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, both still in a position to win the world championship — Vettel is 15 points behind the Ferrari of leader Fernando Alonso, while Webber is only eight adrift — the Englishman faces something of a dilemma.
If, as was the case yesterday in Brazil, Vettel leads Webber home at the Yas Marina circuit, and Alonso is again third, then the Spaniard would clinch his third world championship. So; in such a position, would Vettel back off and gift the win — and the world title — to Webber?
Horner, whose team sealed the Constructors' Championship with their 1-2 at Interlagos, is content Vettel will do the right thing off his own back if needed.
"I don't think there are any difficult decisions to be made," Horner said. "We have two drivers that drive for the team, who have had tremendous support and equality this year. It would have been wrong to switch the drivers in Brazil, as both drivers still have the chance of winning the world championship.
"Nobody has a crystal ball, nobody can foresee what will happen this weekend and all along we have tried to do the best to support them equally. And of course if they find themselves in a situation where one, because he cannot win, needs to help the other then of course I can only imagine that they will do that. But it will have to be a driver decision.
"You only have to look at the characters of the individuals that drive for us to recognise that they will do the best to ensure the best team results.
"Ultimately it is their decision. They both drive for the team and I know they will both do the best they can in that situation, should it arise, for the team. Both drivers go into the race weekend with a genuine chance of taking the world title.
"We will back both drivers equally and both drivers drive for the team. They will do whatever is right I am sure, at the end of the day, for the team. I have zero doubt about that. Had that situation occurred in Brazil, if Fernando had been ahead, then of course Sebastian would have done what was right for the team.
"But that was not the situation. Both drivers took valuable points off Fernando and both go into Abu Dhabi eight points and 15 respectively behind – which in today's scoring we have seen can change quite quickly."
Such are the intricacies of the three-way race for the championship, that Vettel will win the title if he wins the race in Abu Dhabi and Alonso fails to finish fourth or higher, while Webber will be champion if he wins and Alonso is no higher than third.
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Jim McGill
(Photo: Getty Images)