Alonso, Hamilton would also ignore orders - Horner

Christian Horner has defended Sebastian Vettel, arguing that Mark Webber has also ignored team orders and that champions do not succeed by being "submissive".

Now more than a week after the ’Multi-21’ team orders affair of Malaysia, Red Bull is still dealing with the fallout of the now apparently broken relationship between its race drivers.

After the Sepang race, furious Australian Webber was heard saying little to his German teammate except ’Multi-21’ — a code apparently meaning ’hold station’.

Team boss Horner told Sky: "Multi-21 means car 2 ahead of car 1; Multi-12 means car 1 ahead of car 2.

"It’s not that difficult to translate but both our drivers in the last three races have failed to understand both of those messages.

"I think we’re going to give up on that code. We need to probably try something else," he said.

Vettel has reportedly apologised not only to Webber but to every member of Red Bull’s 600-strong staff.

But Horner insisted: "You don’t win as much as he has by being submissive.

"If Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton were in that position, they would do the same," he is quoted by Brazil’s Totalrace.

"If Mark Webber was in that position, he would as well. So let’s not talk about it like it’s only Sebastian."