• Italian Grand Prix

Vettel suffered brake, not engine, problem at Monza

ESPNF1 Staff
September 13, 2010 « Cosworth to part company with Lotus | »
Sebastian Vettel lost position to Mark Webber at Monza when his brakes locked on © Sutton Images
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Red Bull has revealed it was a brake problem that slowed Sebastian Vettel on lap 20 of the Italian Grand Prix and nothing to do with his engine.

Vettel told his team over the radio that his car was losing engine power and the resulting dip in lap time allowed team-mate Mark Webber to power by. Just two laps later, Vettel was back up to pace but four seconds behind his team-mate.

Team boss Christian Horner later clarified that the problem was not caused by the Renault engine.

"At first we thought one of his visor tear-offs might have flown into the airbox, but it now looks as though his brakes were momentarily binding, probably as a result of hitting a kerb [too hard]," he said.

Post race analysis of Vettel's car confirmed it was due to the brakes.

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