Sure, but that's all PR. Has nothing to do with engineering, which is Red Bull's current problem.
But the driver needs to inspire, encourage and motivate. Do you think Red Bull will stand a better chance of solving its engineering problems if Vettel's attitude is "the car is garbage and we can't compete with anyone", or if his attitude is "okay, we know the car isn't great, so let's figure out what we need to do to make it great"?
You have completely misinterpreted that scenario. Webber believed that they were racing to the final pit stop, at which point they would hold position. He believed that because Vettel agreed to it from the start. But when the final pit stops came, Vettel decided he wanted to win the race. He pleaded with the team, who said no, and then decided to pass Webber anyway. People hailed it as a fantastic duel at the time, but it was only possible because Vettel caught Webber unawares. The main defence of Vettel has been that he saw an opportunity, and he went for it; he's a racing driver. But to do it, he had to break his word. He agreed to hold his position at the final stop. Webber believed he would. But then Vettel went back on his word to make the pass. He did not need to - there was no championship on the line, only his own selfish gain. And if the positions had been reversed, he would have expected Webber to hold his position. So why is it okay for Vettel to break his word if it means winning the race?
There was a lot of controversy in the middle of the season when people were booing Vettel on the podium. A lot of commentators pointed out that this was extremely disrespectful and that we should celebrate whoever wins. And they are right. But at the same time, how can you respect someone's achievements if you cannot respect them? What Vettel did in Malaysia was unsportsmanlike, to say the least - it was dishonest, underhanded and devious. In any other circumstance, breaking your word to someone means losing their respect and their trust. Why should it be any different here? If Vettel is being booed on the podium, it is because people do not respect him, and if they do not respect him, it is because he lost that respect. I know a lot of people who were very upset with Vettel when it happened, because he is an elite athlete. He is a role model, and a very public personality in the sport. And he broke his word for his own personal gain.
To complicate matters, Red Bull insist that they have done nothing wrong, and that they will continue to compete the same way they always have. But tens of thousands of fans did not suddenly start disliking them overnight for no good reason. The idea had to come from somewhere, and whether or not it is an accurate reflection of reality is beside the point - the fact that so many people came to that conclusion means Red Bull had to have done something to set it in their mind's eye. Even if it was something seemingly innocuous, like Marko tearing Alguersuari a new one for not letting Vettel by in a free practice session.
2014 is going to tell us a *lot* about the character of Vettel and the team. I don't believe in karma, but if I did, I would say that the RB10 is the result of years of bad vibes. I think that being forced to drive lap after lap, race after race, knowing that they cannot compete for race wins, much less World Chamiopnships, is going to be a very humbling - and very deserved - experience for Red Bull.
