Mark Webber says his relationship with Sebastian Vettel is much better now they are no longer team-mates in Formula One.

Having been paired together at Red Bull for a number of years, Webber was often unhappy with what he saw as preferential treatment for Vettel, with the two even colliding on track during a difficult spell as team-mates. Webber left F1 at the end of 2013 - the same season Vettel ignored team orders and overtook his team-mate to take victory in Malaysia - but now racing in the World Endurance Championship he says the two are on much better terms.

“We actually flew from Melbourne to Dubai after the Melbourne Grand Prix and were pretty much sitting together and had a good chat,” Webber told Dubai radio while promoting the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “Time’s a great healer. When you are in there going for it and want the same territory it’s very hard to come up for air, and every season rolls into one.

“Now I think time’s moved on and we’ll see. We were at odds at the end of the day, but I suppose we’re not at odds when we’ve got our helmets off.”

And Webber says although the incident in Malaysia was the breaking point of the tough relationship between the two, it has something they have been able to move on from in the time since.

“Vettel and I were teammates for quite a few years and Sebastian’s trophy cabinet at the end of that was quite a bit different to mine, he did quite well out of that, but yes we had a very successful period at Red Bull Racing as a team winning quite a few team and drivers’ championships in Seb’s case.

“With that comes some tension to the friendship I suppose on the professional front and obviously that might creep into the personal stuff as well. Malaysia 2013 was the icing on the cake in what was a difficult relationship for four years. Now, it’s different when not competing, we’re not inside the boxing ring anymore.”

Click here for a look at the radical Honda power unit design

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

 

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Alonso pushed through agonizing pain to complete Sao Paulo GP

Fernando Alonso braved both physical agony and mechanical challenges in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix,…

1 hour ago

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

16 hours ago

F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2024 São Paulo GP

Alexander Albon, Williams (Did Not Start): 5.5/10 Alex Albon is definitely going through something of…

17 hours ago

Jos Verstappen rips British media after Brazilian Max fest

Jos Verstappen wasted no time after his son spectacular win at the São Paulo Grand…

18 hours ago

Leclerc left with ‘mixed feelings’ after disappointing Sao Paulo GP

Charles Leclerc's weekend in Sao Paulo was unfortunately a stark contrast to Ferrari's recent triumphs…

20 hours ago

Back when Kimi knew exactly what he was doing

Twelve years ago on this day, Kimi Raikkonen took a popular win at the 2012…

22 hours ago