SEBASTIAN VETTEL has reignited his row with Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber by insisting the Aussie never deserved to win the Malaysian Grand Prix in the first place.
The three-time world champ ignored team orders not to overtake Webber, who was leading the race in Sepang, to take the chequered flag.After the race, the 25-year-old apologised to Webber, who was left furious by the German’s actions.
But in a bizarre twist, Vettel incredibly now says he would do the same again - even if it is against the orders of his boss, Christian Horner.
When quizzed if he would repeat his controversial decision, Vettel admitted: “I would probably do the same.
“It is not the end of the world. I love racing, I love working with the team. I cannot think of anything else that gives me that much pleasure.
“I don’t know what the big deal is. I didn’t mean to ignore the team order. I heard it but I didn’t translate it the proper way, the way I should have.
“Had I understood the message, I would have thought about it, reflected on what the team wanted me to do, which was leave Mark in first place and me second.
“But having thought about it, I probably would have done the same thing.
“I was faster at the end, which is why I was able to overtake. If I had understood the message, then obviously I would have thought about it.
“But I probably would have realised in the moment that there is quiet a conflict.
“On the one hand, I am the kind of guy that respects team decisions, but on the other hand, Mark was not the one that deserved it at the time.”
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But Vettel has hit back and insists he never had the support of his teammate in the first place.
And he even went so far as to hint his treatment of Webber was payback for the way he had been treated himself during their turbulent five years as teammates.
Webber broke team orders in 2011 when he was instructed not to push Vettel at Silverstone, even though Vettel still finished ahead.
And they also had a duel in the final race of last season in Brazil, which caused Vettel to crash on the first lap.
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“Being completely honest, I have never had support from his side. I have got the support of the team and I think the team has supported us the same way.
“In terms of my relationship with Mark, I respect him a lot as a racing driver but I think there has been more than one occasion in the past where he could have helped the team.
“You could say it was payback, indirectly. In my opinion it always best to be truthful.
“Maybe sometimes the truth is not what people want to see because controversy is more popular than the truth.
“I told you after the race what happen. I was racing so as a racing driver I was fully focussed on winning the race.
“I got a call on the radio, which I heard but I didn’t understand it at the time. I should have understood, which is why I apologised to the team.
“As a team member I didn’t obey the team order. My intention was to win the race. I wanted to win and I succeeded.”
Vettel has escaped unpunished and insists his actions have not undermined Horner’s position within the team.
He said: “I have no problem admitting and talking about something I have done wrong. It is not always the easiest to tell the truth but that is what I did straightaway.
“You could say I have undermined Christian, but I went to everyone straight after to explain what happened. The intention was not to undermine the decision of the team principal.
“In terms of a sanction or punishment? Maybe it is a bit of dreamland that you all live in. What do you expect to happen?
“We dealt with it internally. I apologised to the team, I took it very seriously. I went to see the whole team, not just people working here.”
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