Mark Webber
has been forced to apologise for disparaging comments about his Red
Bull team following his win in the British Grand Prix on Sunday.

Webber’s
sarcasm after crossing the finish line and subsequent criticisms have
caused a massive fallout as the team scrambles for unity.

Both
current teammate Sebastian Vettel and former teammate David Coulthard
have told Webber he should have aired his complaints in private.

The
Australian was furious when Vettel was given a new front wing from
Webber’s car ahead of qualifying at Silverstone, perceiving the team
was favouring the young German.

Webber now clearly regrets his
remarks and has issued a statement following talks with Red Bull team
boss Christian Horner to clear the air.

“My disappointment on
Saturday after qualifying spilled over into Sunday but it was simply
due to the fact that I, along with every other driver on the grid,
wanted the best possible chance of success,” Webber said.

“Sebastian received the newer front wing for reasons which were not clearly explained to me until Saturday late afternoon.

“Obviously
I can see why a team may at certain points have to favour a driver with
more points in the championship, if there are only enough resources to
fully support one of us.

“We’ve already debriefed the race weekend at the factory and have cleared the air.

“It’s
now understood that, should we face this unlikely dilemma again,
preference will go to the championship points leader,” he said.

“Of course things get said in the heat of the moment which, with hindsight goggles on, probably shouldn’t have been said.

“Formula
One is a highly charged and fiercely competitive arena where emotions
and adrenalin do run high from time to time like in many sports and my
comment on the radio after the race was an example of Australian
sarcasm either at its best or worst depending on how you choose to take
it.”

Webber said there was no dispute between himself and Horner following the Britisg GP controversy.

“Christian
Horner and I have known each other for many years. We’re friends and
have a strong mutual respect which continues and extends to other
activities, such as our GP3 team and interest in finding and nurturing
young racing talent.” he said.

“The respect within the team
extends to the drivers. I know I have a very good driver as a team-mate
and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

“We share information freely in team meetings and contribute to the development and improvement of our cars.

“Seb
and I are not enemies, we’re just two drivers that are pushing hard and
want to do the best for ourselves and the team, it’s as simple as that.”

Vettel indicated Webber should not have openly criticised the team.

“The
most important thing is the atmosphere within the team,” Vettel said.
We have a really strong car and the only thing that can stop us is
ourselves.

“I’m brought up to show respect for one another,
Vettel told the German newspaper Bild. “Such things do not belong in
the public, they should be handled internally by the team.”

Coulthard
agrees. “Red Bull would doubtless prefer it if Mark aired his
grievances in private,” he wrote in his London Telegraph column.