"Their self-interest shouldn't be greater than the team": Christian Horner on managing the Sebastian Vettel vs Mark Webber rivalry at Red Bull

Christian Horner has been the team principal of Red Bull Racing since its inception back in 2005. He has experienced and managed a few intra-team rivalries between drivers, including one between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. While Webber was the more experienced driver on the team, Vettel was the new blood who was already making a name in the sport by being extremely quick.

Speaking about both drivers, Christian Horner claimed that Webber wanted the spotlight on himself while Vettel was a young yet feisty driver who wanted to win races and championships himself. He recalls how the two crashed into each other in the 2010 F1 Turkish GP when both were running in first and second positions.

Horner said:

"Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel were an interesting combination. It was interesting in the beginning of the 2010 championship where both got a car that's capable of fighting for the world championship and suddenly, their needs and their personal demands becoming disproportionate to the team's."

"They were first and second in a race and ended up crashing into each other. And so the team has given away maximum points to our biggest rivals at that period of time."

The Red Bull team boss took Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital to put things into perspective after the race. This was mainly to show the pair how privileged they are to race for an F1 team. Horner also made them understand that the team's interests should always be bigger than their own.

"So, I felt it was right to take them out of their comfort zone and to explain to them, and to show them that they are there to perform a role and their self-interest should not be greater than the team."

Sebastian Vettel eventually went on to win four world championships from 2010 to 2013 while Mark Webber retired from F1 in 2013.

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Former Red Bull driver congratulated Max Verstappen for breaking his records

Former Red Bull F1 driver Sebastian Vettel recently congratulated Max Verstappen on breaking his record for most consecutive race wins in a single season in 2023. According to De Telegraaf, Verstappen said:

"I think at five wins in a row or something, Seb texted me and said, ‘Well done, keep it up,’ and something like, ‘You’re going to do it.’ Nine in a row is something very impressive and I never thought I would be on eight.”

The Dutch driver was able to beat Vettel's record for most consecutive wins in a single season, which was previously nine. The Red Bull star eventually won 10 races, one-upping the previous record.