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Red Bull fined for unsafe release of Mark Webber in Chinese GP

The Red Bull team has been fined 5000 euros for the unsafe release of Mark Webber during the Chinese Grand Prix

Australian Webber retired from the race after losing his right rear wheel following a pitstop.

Although he was asked on the radio to drive slowly back to the pits, Webber's wheel got detached before he could make it.

As a result of the incident, race stewards fined the team for not having attached the wheel properly during the stop.

Team boss Christian Horner said he was still unsure about the cause of the problem.

"Until we get the car back it is difficult to make any assumptions," he said. "Obviously just prior to that he had an incident with Jean-Eric [Vergne] and damaged the front wing, and we had a puncture on the left front.

"So all four wheels were changed and the nose was changed, and the report from the gunman who obviously had extra time because it was not a hasty time due to nose change was that certainly the right rear was secure and done up tightly."

Webber had a dismal weekend in China, having had to start the race from the pits after he was excluded from qualifying for not having enough fuel in the car.

"It has been a tricky weekend - and an incident in the race did not help that either," added Horner. "Until we get the components back and understand what has happened there, whether it is the result of the contact we don't know.

"It is unlikely I would have thought but until we have all the information it is difficult to draw any conclusions."

Webber was also given a three-place grid penalty for the Bahrain GP for his collision with Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne.

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