Crash ’excellent marketing’ for Red Bull - Coulthard

The crash between teammates Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel was "excellent" marketing for the energy drink Red Bull.

That is the opinion of Australian Webber’s former teammate David Coulthard, who while now racing with Mercedes in DTM is still an ambassador for Red Bull Racing at grands prix.

Asked to comment on the Webber/Vettel controversy by Germany’s Bild newspaper, the veteran Scot said: "From a marketing perspective, it was excellent. The whole world is writing about Red Bull."

Coulthard, however, admits that from the perspective of Red Bull’s championship chances, Turkey 2010 was disastrous.

"For sure," he said. "But everyone did what he had to do."

Unlike some others who have pointedly blamed either Webber or German Vettel, 22, for the lap-40 clash, Coulthard said what happened is just part of formula one racing.

"Tell me a driver that should come off the gas," said Coulthard. "It’s like giving a child an ice-cream and then forbidding them from licking it."

He said both drivers should "pay more attention to one another" during future wheel-to-wheel contests, and plays down suggestions the saga means Webber and Vettel are no longer friends.

"They were never the best of friends," revealed Coulthard. "And why should they be? Just because they are on the same team?

"I think they have a good working relationship and a healthy respect for the talents of the other," he added.