Horner predicts return to form for Webber

Horner is confident Mark Webber will be up to speed at this weekend’s Malaysian grand prix.

Red Bull said the Australian’s RB7 chassis would be stripped down and inspected with a fine-tooth comb after Webber struggled to keep up with runaway winner Sebastian Vettel in Melbourne.

Despite Helmut Marko saying in Australia that the chassis might be carrying a major flaw, it appears in fact that nothing significant has been found.

"He (Webber) and the team have been looking to understand that (performance) in the last week," team boss Horner told the BBC. "We think we’ve found a few pointers and I’m confident we’ll see him back up at the front in Malaysia next weekend."

In an official preview, Webber said: "We got a lot of information from the first race and we expect our car to be good in Malaysia — I want to get some champagne and up on to the steps."

Meanwhile, Horner and Red Bull designer Adrian Newey have said they will decide whether to fit KERS to the RB7 in Malaysia after it is tested on Friday.

The team did not use the energy-recovery technology in Melbourne and McLaren driver Jenson Button suspects he knows why.

"I don’t think they have a good system — we gain between 3.5 and 5 tenths from our KERS but I think Red Bull only gain 1.5 and that’s why they did not bother with it and the extra weight," he is quoted as saying by AFP.