Vettel v Webber II: who will reign supreme in 2011?

As winter testing draws to a close it is clear who the main protagonists will be this season: Red Bull and Ferrari. The two fastest teams from 2010 are set to do battle again although it is clear that the Prancing Horse will only bring one contender to table. Their challenger will be a certain Fernando Alonso since, from my outlook, Felipe Massa’s position within the Ferrari ranks is irrecoverable, a fate which befell Rubens Barrichello nine years ago. Massa will back up Alonso’s bid for the championship, and that will be the end of it. What remains uncertain, though, is the balance of power within Red Bull.

Despite deservedly winning the title last season, Sebastian Vettel still has something to prove. Undoubtedly the young German is peerless in qualifying, as his ten pole positions from last season would testify, and is at his most brilliant best when alone at the front of the field. But name an occasion when Vettel has stormed to victory after fighting his way through the pack? Sadly for those desperate to get one over on me, that hasn’t occurred yet. Moreover, reel off a list of ten memorable Vettel overtakes? In fact, there have been only two occasions where Vettel has received acclaim for barnstorming performances from the back of the field:Brazil ’09 and Silverstone ’10. Yet it was his own impetuous streak behind the wheel which put him in that initial, problematic position. Again, you are left feeling slightly unconvinced of the talents of our World Champion. You could argue that Vettel is too quick for the other drivers and therefore doesn’t need to pull off overtake after overtake when strolling to victories. However, I’m pretty certain that plenty of drivers on the grid could have equalled Vettel’s accomplishment’s driving the RB6, one of Adrian Newey’s finest creations. The key word in that sentence is ‘could’, since Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber couldn’t match Vettel’s outstanding achievements.

So where does Webber fit into all of this, given that he will actually be the ‘number two’ driver next season? Trust me, the Australian will remain in contention. After reading his interview in this month’s F1 Racing, I believe he may well even eclipse Vettel. Unthinkable initially, but read closely; Webber regards Alonso as ‘the benchmark’ and holds Lewis Hamilton with similar admiration. If Webber thinks Alonso, and therefore Hamilton, are quicker than he is, he probably believes the two-time World Champion is faster than Vettel, too. So long as the Red Bull is quicker than Alonso’s Ferrari, Webber has enough self-confidence to feel he could beat Vettel on a more consistent basis than the previous season.

The Australian will have reflected on the negative aspects of the 2010 and, more importantly, what scuppered his championship asperations. It would be too easy to indicate that Webber’s excursion into the barriers in Korea was the pivotal moment. For me, Webber’s lack of points in the opening four rounds ensured he was always playing catch up to Vettel and Alonso, and in some respects Hamilton. A new season, a new car and new tyres have levelled the playing field somewhat and Webber will embark on his tenth season in F1 with fresh motivation and desire to convince not only the F1 fraternity, but himself, that he is not a ‘number two’ driver.

This post is not a season preview at all; it is merely a prelude to the potential fireworks within Red Bull for 2011. If they are to implode as they did in 2010, they may not get away with it this time. Yes, they may have made up, both publicly and private. However, does that mean either Vettel or Webber will pull out of a bit of on track squabbling if they are fighting for the lead? No chance: racing drivers are stubborn, single-minded characters and in an intense battle all thoughts of inter-team harmony are forgotten. Webber giving way for Vettel in 2011 is unfathomable and vice versa. It will be interesting to see how both Red Bull drivers fare this season, and whether or not team principal Christian Horner will have learnt any lessons from their fall out last season.

Josh.