Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel has damaged himself by his maverick decision to flout team orders to win Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix, said Jenson Button.
Vettel was running second to team-mate Mark Webber with 10 laps to go when Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, instructed them to hold their positions. But Vettel ignored the command and went on to win for the 27th time.
Button, whose own race was ruined by a pit-stop blunder when he looked good for fifth, said: “I think that will hurt Sebastian in the long run. I am surprised he did that, but there you go.
“We all want to win, but he drives for Red Bull, and they have to call the shots. So many times it has worked in his favour.
“Instead of worrying about all the other guys on the grid, they are worrying about what their team-mate is going to do. If you are told to save tyres and your team-mate is behind you and he overtakes you, you are going to get annoyed.
“It can cause an issue. Even if they sit down and discuss it, it is not going to change the outcome.
“It is still in their minds what has happened. It does not go away.” – guardian
