FERNANDO ALONSO cruised to victory in the Chinese Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton also made the podium in Shanghai. But once again the aftermath of the race was dominated by a Red Bull controversy, this time because Mark Webber lost a wheel soon after a pit stop.
The Australian, who was overtaken by Sebastian Vettel in the last race in Malaysia, failed to finish the latest Grand Prix and afterwards refused to rule out what the Daily Telegraph called the "outlandish possibility" that his own team were trying to undermine his position.
The suggestion did not go down well with Red Bull boss Christian Horner. "The team principal, normally impeccably mild-mannered, was visibly angry at the intimation of an ulterior motive behind his driver's nightmarish race in China," reported the paper.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The idea was put forward when Webber was relegated to last place on the grid after running out of petrol in qualifying. It was claimed that the team left him short of fuel on purpose to ensure that he did not start anywhere near his team mate Sebastian Vettel, following their falling out in Malaysia.
"Such talk was mere mischief-making, although the flames were fanned by Webber ducking a question on the subject rather than shooting it down," noted the Daily Mail.
Eurosport's Motorhead blog agreed. It argued that a conspiracy would be "great fun" but added that Red Bull "are not the sort who would spite their face by cutting off their nose". However, things do not look good for Webber. "If the funk persists to the midpoint of the season, when the driver market begins to take shape, the oldest driver on the grid could find himself parked as unceremoniously as his three-wheeled car was at turn 14 on Sunday."
If Red Bull had a day to forget, with Vettel finishing fourth, so did McLaren. Jenson Button drove valiantly to end the race in fifth place but Sergio Perez came in 11th and was blamed for causing a crash in the 16th lap. Meanwhile, old boy Hamilton had another good day for his new team Mercedes.
"As Lewis Hamilton continues to make fools of those who questioned his move to Mercedes, McLaren's decision to replace their departing champion with Sergio 'Checo' Perez is raising ever more questions," noted the Mail.
"Hamilton put his car on pole in China before coming home a creditable third... But such a positive display has turned the spotlight on Perez's less than convincing displays since he took the seat of the English driver at McLaren."
-
Disarming Hezbollah: Lebanon's risky missionTalking Point Iran-backed militia has brought 'nothing but war, division and misery', but rooting them out for good is a daunting and dangerous task
-
Woof! Britain's love affair with dogsThe Explainer The UK's canine population is booming. What does that mean for man's best friend?
-
Crossword: August 31, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Christian Horner and the Red Bull saga that refuses to go awayIn the Spotlight 'Too dizzy-making' even for the 'merry-go-round world of F1'
-
Lewis Hamilton on his F1 future: ‘I have plenty of fuel in the tank’Under the Radar Seven-time world champion finished second on his 300th grand prix start
-
F1: a bumpy start to the season for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and George RussellUnder the Radar Only four races in and Mercedes already look off the pace
-
Lewis Hamilton’s future: could he retire from F1?In the Spotlight It remains ‘unclear’ if the seven-time world champion will be on the grid in 2022
-
Verstappen or Hamilton: the 2021 F1 title permutations explainedfeature Rivals are level on points going into Sunday’s final race in Abu Dhabi
-
F1: Lewis Hamilton’s astonishing victory in Brazilfeature British driver’s win at Interlagos is surely up there with the finest of his career
-
Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of saving F1 title fade in Texasfeature A canny tyre strategy clocked up another win for Max Verstappen, who is surging ahead in the title race
-
F1 British Grand Prix: racism overshadows the racingfeature Lewis Hamilton suffers racist abuse online after his controversial win at Silverstone
