What Sebastian Vettel did on the podium to Mark Webber after the infamous Multi-21 incident

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Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber’s feud during their time at Red Bull led to some infamous moments off track.

The phrase ‘Multi-21’ has now entered F1 folklore after it was said in anger by Mark Webber towards Sebastian Vettel after duelling on track for the win at Malaysia in 2013.

The term was used by Red Bull engineers to indicate to Vettel that Car 2 (Webber) should be ahead of Car 1 on track. But with fresh tyres, lighter fuel load and more pace in his RB9, Vettel duly ignored the order and passed Webber to take the victory anyway.

READ MORE: Five times team orders have decided the result of an F1 race 

An incensed Webber confronted Vettel in the post-race cool down room, quipping: “Multi 21, Seb. Yeah…Multi 21.” Vettel took a sip of his water and ignored his teammate until they made their way out onto the podium.

Webber has recalled the incident when speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, and what Vettel said during the tense moment between the pair.

What Sebastian Vettel said to Mark Webber after Multi-21 saga

Webber had emerged in the lead of the race after his final pit stop and Red Bull wanted him and Vettel to drive to a delta time in order to ensure the cars are cooled and do not risk overheating.

Vettel ignored the order and started to gain on Webber and despite pleas from the pit wall, including from team principal Christian Horner, the German overtook his teammate.

It was only the second race of the season but Vettel wanted to asset himself in what would end up being another title race with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Webber revealed what was said between the pair while they were on the podium.

“Seb apologized on the podium, which is easy to do, isn’t it? Of course. So I think at the time with his instinct helmet on, you are in beast mode, in fighter mode and you want to get the bloody job done for yourself and the selfishness actually does have a big chance of rolling into performance and executing the race,” said Webber.

The origins of Sebastian Vettel disobeying team orders

The disobeying of team orders in F1 is nothing new, with drivers having done so in the past to suit their agendas.

With Multi-21, this was a result of a grudge between Vettel and his teammate Webber following an incident at the Brazilian GP in 2012.

Webber had moved over on Vettel while he was fighting for the championship with Fernando Alonso, nearly pushing him into the wall. This led to the German falling back into the midfield and then getting hit by Bruno Senna.

He never forgot the move and decided to give payback to Webber at the Malaysian GP the following year. Webber would subsequently not win a race in the RB9, while Vettel would go on to set the record for most consecutive wins (9) in a season – a feat that was only recently beaten by Max Verstappen in 2023.