Hamilton Thinks Red Bull Will Favor Vettel

Although Red Bull Racing has continuously stated through the course of the off-season that Sebastian Vettel's F1 title in 2010 will not bring with it an automatic No 1 status for the German drivers, some F1 pundits and the majority of the media think otherwise, especially after the 3-year extension and big salary raise offered (and accepted) by the Austrian team to the 23-year old racer.

Now McLaren Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton joined that group, as he is quoted by multiple British reports as saying that Mark Webber is clearly a No 2 driver for Vettel at Milton Keynes.

“It appears to me that it is a clear number 1 team,” said the 2008 Formula 1 champion, who added: “Mark has also stated it hasn't he?”

His reference is to Webber's comments following the 2010 British Grand Prix, when he told his crew of engineers via radio “Not bad for a No 2 driver” after crossing the finish line victorious. Since then, Vettel and Webber have patched things up, at least in front of the media, but we all know the whole thing needs a minor spark to burst into flames once again.

Furthermore, Hamilton also referred to Red Bull's ambitions for the future, arguing that the recently-reigned world champions will never become a permanent grandee like teams such as McLaren or Ferrari.

“I am 100 per cent certain that McLaren or Ferrari will never let that happen,” added Ham. “Ours have status they would like to keep. Red Bull are not a manufacturer, they are a drinks company. I don't know what their plan is.”

Red Bull have a 6-year history in Formula 1, having debuted in the series back in 2005, when Dietrich Mateschitz purchased the former Jaguar Racing F1 Team.