F1 British Grand Prix Tests Team Patience

Despite the fact that the British Grand Prix was rather wet, it wowed the crowds with some intense battles at the lead of the pack. After a series of much needed tweaks, Fernando Alonso's Ferrari has seemingly found its feet and is now matching the Red-Bull racing cars for speed. Such mid-season upgrades are common in Formula One, as are rule changes and team-mate disputes. As it turns out, Silverstone played host to many of these veritable clich©s.

He may have silenced critics at last year's British GP, but Mark Webber was furious at team orders after this years race. Though second in the championship, Webber is now a full eighty points behind his team-mate, Sebastian Vettel. Vettel seems a dead-cert for the title now, though much could happen by the end of the year. We're already at the halfway point of the season, so it's going to take a particularly focused effort of Smart Serviceto get to the championship leader's position. Still, Webber is quite adamant that team restrictions on his driving are unfair. Racing at a similar speed to Vettel in the later stages of the race, Red Bull made demands of Webber to quit trying to overtake.

After all, nobody wants to play second fiddle in the fastest motorsport on earth. Some say that Webber is likely to collide with Vettel sooner or later, because he drives recklessly in pursuit of his teammate. Two drivers on the same team colliding would be disastrous for everyone involved, and sadly, it's likely considering the way the sport is played out. There has already been enough talk about Vettel packing up and opting for car servicing with a bunch of different faces in his pit crew. Most would welcome such a shakeup in the sport.

At any rate, this will be more interesting than the war of words over what is permitted in the rules regarding engines. A little innovation goes a long way in making the sport more exciting, and in getting the backs up of your competitiors. Mclaren and Red Bull even went public with their debate in a news conference. The details are as technical as skilled Citroen Servicing. Considering that the ban was in place during the race at Silverstone, but won't be in place in Hockenheim, one wonders whether the FIA isn't equally confused.