Sebastian Vettel

Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve says Sebastian Vettel is wholly to blame for the current tension with team-mate Mark Webber – and sees parallels with the incident which led to his father Gilles’s death.

There was clear resentment between the Red Bull pair after last week’s Malaysian Grand Prix, when Vettel overtook Webber to win the race despite both drivers being instructed by their team to slow down and preserve their positions.

Gilles Villeneuve was killed in a 1982 accident while trying to beat the qualifying time of then Ferrari team-mate Didier Pironi.

The pair had fallen out at the previous Grand Prix at San Marino when Pironi defied team orders to pass Villeneuve on the final lap for victory – a situation echoed by the incident between Vettel and Webber on March 24.

And Jacques Villeneuve told Auto Bild: “It’s easy to make excuses but in the end, Vettel’s got the win and the points. Mark has nothing. It was a deliberate decision by Vettel.

“The team give you the contract and pay you the money, and so you do what they want you to do. It’s very simple.

“Ignoring is just plain wrong. The best example is my father and Didier Pironi. Just look at the problems that caused.

“Vettel’s behaviour was just stupid. Such negative energy does not help the team. If he now needs help from Mark, he cannot be sure he will get it.”