Red Bull to withdraw Vettel’s car from Parc Ferme to investigate further

Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that the team will withdraw Sebastian Vettel’s car from parc ferme to further investigate the reasons behind his issue during qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This comes after the German was excluded from the session and sent to the back of the grid.

Due to this decision from the Milton Keynes-based outfit, Sebastian Vettel will be forced to instead start tomorrow’s race from the pit-lane. Christian Horner has explained how Renault immediately ordered him to stop Sebastian Vettel’s car on the circuit, as the reigning World Champion carried out his slow down lap after his final run during the top ten shootout. Prior to the incident, the German driver had qualified 3rd, behind team-mate Mark Webber and eventual poleman Lewis Hamilton.

“During the slow down lap following the final run of Q3, Renault instructed to immediately stop Sebastian’s car on the circuit due to an issue with the fuel system.” Explained Christian Horner, “After speaking with the stewards, who accepted the situation of force majeure for technical reasons for the car to be stopped, unfortunately, for reasons yet to be fully understood, 850ml of the required one litre was pumped out of the car following post race checks.

“As a result, the FIA has excluded Sebastian from qualifying and we will withdraw the car from Parc Ferme in order to investigate further. Therefore Sebastian will start from the pit lane for tomorrow’s race. We will need to make the most of Mark’s strong front-row grid position and Sebastian will have a busy evening ahead of him.”

With Red Bull poised to clinch the Constructors’ Championship for third year in succession this weekend around the Yas Marina circuit, the teams hopes of any major points haulage lies solely with Mark Webber, who will start the race from 2nd on the grid. With Fernando Alonso set to start tomorrow’s race from 6th on the grid, Sebastian Vettel’s 13 point lead in the Championship is most certainly under threat, with the German poised for a frenetic 55-lap race as he strives to work his way through the order.

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