•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

Hockenheim, Germany. Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel insist they have put aside a team dispute that marred Webber’s victory in the previous race and will focus on competing with championship rival McLaren at the German Grand Prix.

Webber was forced to hand over a key car part to Vettel before the British Grand Prix, prompting an angry remark by Webber after he won the race in Silverstone.

But the teammates are now ready to go after Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Webber is currently third in the drivers’ standings with 128 points, 17 behind leader Hamilton and five back from Button. Vettel sits fourth with 121 points.

Sunday’s German GP marks the second half of the Formula One season.

“It doesn’t matter who wins, we are driving for one team,” Vettel said on Thursday. “We know where the focus is and that’s the next race.”

Webber said the team “wants to go forward.”

“We both want to win and that’s part of healthy learning. We are taking on the best teams,” the 33-year-old Australian said.

After taking the checkered flag at Silverstone, Webber sniped over the team radio: “Not bad for a No. 2 driver!”

He later questioned his future with Red Bull.

Webber said on Thursday that it was a “very unusual situation,” but stressed he had no problem with Vettel.

Webber has since talked with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who admitted that he did not communicate well with his drivers before the race.

“At Silverstone we could have done a better job in communicating with Mark just before qualifying,” Horner said. “We spoke about it a lot after the event, and a lot was made of it, more than it warranted. As a team we are pushing very hard, pushing to get components to the circuit very aggressively, as are the other front-running teams.

“That’s the way we will continue to operate, and it’s the only way we will be able to compete and fight with the likes of Ferrari and McLaren.”

Webber and Vettel both played down the Silverstone incident, with Webber saying it was “no huge drama” and Vettel telling the media that the comment received far more attention than it deserved.

In the British GP, Webber pushed aside Vettel in the first corner. The German punctured and later finished seventh.

Sunday’s race also marks the homecoming of Michael Schumacher in his comeback season. The seven-time Formula One champion won the Hockenheim race four times but gave himself no chance of repeating Sunday in his Mercedes.

“We are not strong enough to win,” Schumacher said. “But making the podium would be great.”

Schumacher said he felt a lot of support, but also a lot of expectations in Germany.

“But I’ve just come back and maybe with a car that doesn’t meet expectations,” Schumacher said.

The 41-year-old’s best result since returning to the grid this season has been finishing fourth on two occasions. His teammate and fellow German Nico Rosberg, meanwhile, has been on the podium twice already and out-qualified him in all but two Grands Prix.

Schumacher’s disappointing comeback to Formula One has brought with it suggestions that he may not see out his three-year deal at Mercedes, but he insisted there was no doubt in his mind that he would continue racing next year.

“It is what I mentioned the other day — that I officially publicized when I rejoined F1 — which is to win the title. That is my focus and that is what I am here for,” the German said.

Schumacher admitted that it was too tall an order to expect him to win the championship after a three-year break, but he was confident about the prospect of winning another world title.

“Am I perfectly happy with my own performance? That is probably the wrong thing to say,” he said.

Formula 1

AP, AFP