Customer car row set to rage again?
Amid Force India's vehement opposition to the racing of customer cars, it emerged earlier this season that – given the demise of Super Aguri – a settlement with Red Bull had finally been reached.
But rumors in the paddock earlier this weekend suggested that, despite customer cars being set to exit the grid beyond 2010 and Dietrich Mateschitz putting his Toro Rosso share up for sale, the whole customer car issue could raise its head again.
On Sunday at Monza, a customer car won a grand prix for the first time, with Sebastian Vettel's Toro Rosso run by the little Faenza based team but actually designed and built by its parent.
"Red Bull Technology can be very proud of the car that they have provided," Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner said after the Italian grand prix.
Adrian Newey, who designed the Red Bull Technology car, was asked to comment on the latest rumors about the future of customer cars.
"I'm not aware of any changes to the decision that was made six months ago," he said.
Williams, on the other hand, is strongly opposed to customer cars, and the Grove team's technical director Sam Michael said of the issue: "I think that was sorted out about six months ago, wasn't it?"
Perhaps understandably in the heat of celebrations, meanwhile, Toro Rosso co-owner Gerhard Berger, who described standing on the podium as a winning constructor as the best moment in his long career, declined to comment on Sunday.