F1: Vettel's Woes Puts Spotlight Back On Renault

Formula 1

F1: Vettel’s Woes Puts Spotlight Back On Renault

It turns out a spark plug ruined Sebastian Vettel's race Sunday...

SPEED Staff / GMM | Posted March 16, 2010 GMM Newswire

Sebastian Vettel had a comfortable lead through pit stops in the Bahrain GP, but on lap 35 engines woes slowed him down and eventual winner Fernando Alonso took the lead. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Hours after Red Bull diagnosed an exhaust problem as the cause of Sebastian Vettel's Bahrain power loss, the team issued a media statement.

Vettel was leading the race, having started from pole, but fell behind the eventual podium sitters and finished the season opener in fourth.

Red Bull said late Sunday that "further investigations have proven that the loss of power was actually due to a spark plug failure and not the exhaust".

The statement reminded observers about Red Bull's persistent reliability problems with its Renault engines last year, and ultimately futile efforts over the winter to switch to Mercedes.

"Failed world championship beginning: did Red Bull stumble with Renault?" read a headline in the Swiss newspaper Blick.

And McLaren's Lewis Hamilton is quoted as saying by The Sun: "If Vettel had a reliable engine, he's got so much downforce he could run away with it.

"But if he has problems it won't be a runaway year for anyone," he told the British newspaper.

Dr. Helmut Marko, Red Bull's motor sport adviser, said Sunday proved the talent of Vettel and the pace of Adrian Newey's RB6 design.

"What was shown by Vettel in Bahrain after the big horsepower loss was his incredible speed in the corners," he said.

According to Spain's Diario AS, however, Vettel ran out of fuel after crossing the checkered flag on Sunday.

But Ferrari's Fernando Alonso is celebrating cautiously after winning his debut with the famous Italian team.

"Red Bull are still a bit ahead of us," he is quoted as saying by Blick from his home in Lugano.

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