Talking to the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, Mateschitz made it very clear that both drivers will be treated equally throughout the 2011 campaign, until of course only one has mathematical chances of winning the title. Given the not so friendly relationship between the two, the Austrian billionaire predicted a tough battle for glory within the Red Bull garage once again.
“Mark and he (Vettel) will be on equal terms. Sebastian must prove his class again next year and Mark won't make things easy for him,” said Mateschitz, according to the aforementioned source.
Many times through the 2010 campaign, when Vettel was resting almost a race win away from his teammate in the overall classification (behind, that is), Red Bull refused to enforce team orders in order to help Webber become world champion. While many interpreted this as a sign of affection for the 21-year old German, the Milton Keynes management referred to it as equality treatment for their two drivers.
After winning this year's title, Vettel was tipped by former team manager from BMW Sauber (where he started his F1 career) Mario Theissen for some 15 years of F1 success, on the condition he'll have a competitive car to drive. Mateschitz was quick to echo those comments, saying that unless Red Bull provides the German racer with a title-winning car in the years to come, Vettel will probably leave Milton Keynes for a better shot at future titles.
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