Horner: 'Unlucky' Vettel was caught out
Date published : 30 Aug 2010 - 14:41:20
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner says that Sebastian Vettel wasn't guilty of impetuous driving at Spa, but was simply caught out when a defensive Jenson Button braked earlier than expected for the Bus Stop chicane.Vettel lost control and slammed into the side of the McLaren, putting Button out of the race and sending his own race into a downward spiral.The rain had started and I think Jenson braked earlier than Sebastian was expecting on the inside, and trying to avoid him Seb locked the rears over a bump and unintentionally collected him, Horner said on Sunday evening.I think it was just circumstances.At the end of the day Jenson had a slightly damaged car, he was a lot slower, and obviously he was driving defensively which he's perfectly entitled to do, but it took Sebastian by surprise just how early he did brake for the chicane.It certainly wasn't intentional.The blunder earned Vettel a drive-through penalty, which McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh suggested was a pretty light punishment given that he had taken Button out and damaged his world championship chances.Unsurprisingly, Horner disagreed pointing out that the stewards hadn't penalised Robert Kubica after the Pole squeezed Vettel onto the grass at 180mph while recovering from an off-course moment at Eau Rouge on the second lap.Considering that they felt that putting him on the grass at the top of Eau Rouge which was an intentional move was okay, it did seem a little bit harsh, said Horner.But [stewards' advisor] Nigel [Mansell] knows his stuff, so I'm sure he had a good look at it.While Vettel left Spa empty-handed, team-mate Mark Webber salvaged a second place after dropping from pole to seventh on the opening lap. Mark drove a very mature race today, said Horner.Sebastian was unlucky in many respects, but sometimes you make your own luck and it just caught him out.
