Brundle: Red Bull has a major problem

Former racer turned Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle says he feels Red Bull now has a major problem on its hand on the back of Sebastian Vettel's comments that he would go against team orders again in the future.

Speaking ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, Vettel said he would 'probably do the same' if he found himself in the same situation he was in in Malaysia, arguing that team-mate Mark Webber didn't deserve to win the race.

Vettel's comments only seem to have inflamed the situation between the pair and Brundle admitted that it now left Red Bull in a difficult situation when it comes to trying to manage its championship bid from the pit wall through the rest of the season.

"I think it leaves the team with a major problem because you have to manage the team through the season, through the year," he wrote on the Sky Sports website. "They are limited to eight engines through the whole season, they have to make one gearbox last for five races, they always start the race with not enough fuel which needs to be managed - they don't want to carry that extra weight through a grand prix and there is the team's Championship position to cope with.

"When you are out on the race track you haven't got all the information everyone on the pitwall and at the back of the garage and at the back of the factory have - where there are 20 or 30 very clever people working out the strategy of the race. They are controlling that - you can't control that from behind the steering wheel - so if you are given instructions you really have to follow that.

"You just can't disregard that completely and I think it leaves them with a difficult situation. The boss, Dietrich Mateschitz, has said there won't be team orders anymore and that he wants his drivers to race - well that just plays into the hands of the other teams."

Brundle added that he didn't think Vettel would be concerned about the fact that his comments could affect his popularity, with his focus being firmly on winning on track.

"We know there is a lot of tension and it has flared up - whether it was Turkey 2010, Silverstone 2011, Brazil last year - when Mark was pretty brutal against Sebastian when he was trying to win the World Championship - and so you know there is a lot of tension," he said. "You have two very competitive drivers who do not want to yield - Mark moving towards the end of his career and wants some success, Vettel has three Championships in the bag and wants to blitz every record there is and his job is to win, not to be popular. He might be losing a bit of popularity, but I don't think he cares too much.

"All the great champions were selfish winning machines and they really didn't care too much about their reputations in that respect. I think there is a sporting line which you don't cross - it is honour amongst thieves in many respects, but then I didn't win three World Championships and Sebastian Vettel already has at 25-years-old. So he is just saying if he sees a gap, I will go for it - whether that comes back to haunt him we will find out."