Indian GP: Red Bull preview

The reigning world champions arrive at the race in India with nothing to lose as they are far superior in every respect. Red Bull are leading the pack this time around as well but not in their usual style. Despite being in the lead, there is a prancing horse lurking in the back, ready to pounce at any given time as Vettel has a meagre lead of six points over Alonso.

Before Vettel’s winning streak, Webber had more wins under his belt but his good run of fortune came to an end when he failed to deliver points on a consistent basis. Since winning in Britain, he has managed to accomplish only a solitary top six finish – a podium finish in Korea.

Webber capitalised on his team-mate’s mistake to notch pole in Korea but Vettel got back strongly to work his magic out in the race which suggested that a straight-on battle is on the horizon. Vettel’s focus would mainly be on keeping Fernando at bay, though.

It’s safe to say Red Bull got their mojo back after the recently developed Double DRS system appeared in Singapore and also due to the persistent evolution of updates for every race running. The DDRS system has been used to good effect in qualifying with a hat-trick of poles for the Milton Keynes-based team and has aided Vettel in taking the fight to Alonso.

With Ferrari’s wind-tunnel woes reflecting in their results, McLaren have a good shot at the constructors’ title if their British pair can pull off a decent finish on one of the toughest tracks in the calendar. The sector 1 at BIC has long straights which never really suit the likes of RB8, but the twisty sections of sector 2 and 3 with plenty of elevation changes could well decide the balance between top speed and good traction out of corners.

Last year’s race was completely dominated by Red Bull as Vettel beat Button comfortably by an eight-second margin. It may not be the case this time around as Red Bull haven’t been as quick as they looked in qualifying for the Korean race – the track that shares many qualities with the Buddh circuit. Webber’s title chances are running out of sight but he still clings on to the back of Hamilton, who himself isn’t far away from Raikkonen either.

He might get his orders to hold back if wanted by his team, but Vettel is in a league of his own now. Amidst getting excited to drive on the sunny tarmac of BIC, this is what they have got to say:

Mark Webber: “It’s a challenging venue and I really enjoy the track, it’s a nice circuit to drive. There was a massive crowd there last year and it was a good atmosphere. The track is similar to Korea with mainly long straights in sector one followed by a very busy sector two and three, so we need to get the balance right between downforce and top speed. It should be reasonably straightforward weather-wise and I’m looking forward to getting out there.”

Sebastian Vettel: “I loved the track layout last year, but not just because I won the race. With an average speed of 235km/h, the course is the second quickest of the year after Monza. There is a lot of elevation change around the lap which adds to the fun, from as much as eight per cent downhill and up to 10 per cent uphill; it’s like a rollercoaster! It really has emerged as one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar for the drivers.”