Red Bull isn’t throwing in the towel on its championship fight with Brawn GP just yet, even if a terrible day at the Italian Grand Prix has left it only four races to catch the season-long Formula One leaders.
Sebastian Vettel managed to earn a point after Lewis Hamilton crashed on the final lap on Sunday, while teammate Mark Webber retired following a crash on his opening lap.
Vettel now trails F1 leader Jenson Button by 26 points and Webber is 28.5 back after Rubens Barrichello beat teammate Button in a 1-2 Brawn sweep.
Red Bull still believes in its chances, even if the championship fight looks like a Button-Barrichello duel.
“Basically we need to win at least three of the races,” Red Bull principal Christian Horner said. “A tough task, but it’s not impossible.”
Button has 80 points, Barrichello has 66, Vettel - who won in the rain at Monza last year - 54 and Webber 51.5. Brawn GP leads Red Bull by 40.5 points in the constructors’ standings.
“It is so difficult to do,” said Vettel, who started ninth in a car he was uncomfortable in from the start of practice Friday. “It was a pretty tough day at the office. Obviously a long, hard fight and at the end a little lucky because Lewis made the crash. We just weren’t quick enough today.” The Canadian Press
Vettel said: “Overall, we didn’t have the speed and perhaps this wasn’t the best track for our car.
“For the next race we will put more down force in again and maybe we’ll be better, we will see.
“The Championship isn’t over our target is to do our best, we’re here to win races and the Championship, so we have to focus on that, all the rest is out of our hands.”
Team pri nci pal Christian Horner said it was their worst of the season.
He said: “Unfortunately we just weren’t quick enough in Monza it’s been our worst performance of the year at a track which has exposed some of our weaknesses.
“Hopefully the remaining circuits will come back more in our favour.” MK News
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