British press brand Sebastian Vettel 'ruthless' after his Malaysian GP 'betrayal'

Sebastian Vettel's reputation has taken a battering in the British press after he ignored team orders to beat Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber and win the Malaysian GP.

"He followed utterly in the footsteps of his idol as he betrayed his teammate Mark Webber, his team Red Bull, boss Christian Horner, and billionaire boss Dietrich Mateschitz who has financed his racing career since he was 13," Byron Young wrote. "And the manoeuvre in the Malaysian Grand Prix was straight out of Michael Schumacher's book of world domination: utterly ruthless and morally reprehensible. "In fact in the blazing heat of Malaysia Vettel's yesterday was probably worse than most of Schumacher's track actions. His were usually reserved for a track rival." With Christian Horner having suggested he will have further talks with Vettel in private before the season recommences in Shanghai in two weeks' time, The Times observed that the Red Bull Team Principal "has been cast into the mould of Dr Frankenstein, unable to control the monster that he created". "Horner is now faced with a rapid repair job on the relationship between his drivers, which has not been good even at the best of times," the newspaper added. "They have a history of spats and rows, although they seemed to have decided to get on as best they could after Webber accepted a one-year extension on his contract until the end of the season. "Webber made his feelings clear in the debrief last night, while Horner says he will have further talks with Vettel. Whether that means the three-times world champion will be punishes remains to be seen, but Webber will be looking to his team principal to lay down the law."