Sebastian Vettel has hailed Mark Webber's maiden Formula 1 Grand Prix victory as a day he was simplY unable to cope with his Red Bull teammate. Vettel joined incumbent Webber at the senior Red Bull team for the 2009 season, following David Coulthard's retirement to become the first product of the famed driver academy to be promoted from Toro Rosso. The duo raced together until the end of 2013, when Webber headed off to a Porsche programme in the World Endurance Championship, with their relationship proving tetchy at times. They memorably clashed at the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix with Vettel retiring on the spot, before Red Bull took an example of a new front wing away from Webber and gave it to Vettel at the British GP later in the year. At the 2012 Brazilian GP, Webber squeezed his title-chasing teammate into the wall at the start, something Vettel did not forget when he ignored team orders in the famous "Multi-21" incident in Malaysia the following year. The two repaired their relationship over time, with Vettel identifying one of Webber's nine F1 wins as a day he "ran out of ideas."
Vettel hails Webber drive
"That is very difficult to answer as F1 is particular, because you only get to see what's happening behind the wheel with your teammate," Vettel explained on the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast when asked who was the fastest driver he raced against during his 16 year career. "The other drivers - we now get a lot of information and data and have some knowledge, but you don't really know how good their cars are, how they might adapt or how hard they are working for it. "I don't want to sound like I'll give myself credit as I was strong [in those title winning seasons], but on the day, when Mark got his things right, it was unbelievable to witness. "I'd pick a weekend like Nurburgring 2009 [Webber's first F1 win] and I just ran out of things to do. "After the race, I just said: 'I don't know how you did it, but hats off.' "He was so quick, so much more than me, and then for the [next race there], I tried to work on the Nurburgring, but maybe the track doesn't like me or I struggle with the track. "But it didn't matter so much, I think it mattered for him more to be really in his happy place. 'If he was there and the car was doing what he wanted and expected, it was impressive to see."
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