'Tram charge to blame for Webber's DNF'

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MARK WEBBER

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Friday 3rd October 2008

Red Bull have blamed an eletrical surge from a tram for putting an end to Mark Webber's Singapore GP.

Webber, who had been on course for a strong points finish if not a top-three result, retired from last Sunday's inaugural night race when his gearbox failed on lap 30.

And according to team boss Christian Horner, it was an electrical charge from nearby tram that caused the problem.

"At Turn 13 the gearbox selected two gears at one," Horner told Autosport. "The moog valve controlling the gearshift had been triggered into changing to seventh while he was still in fifth.

"Yet after interrogating the software we can see that it at no time was allowing for this. We can see a momentary electrical surge at the precise moment, which seems to have triggered the moog valve.

"It was exactly what (Toro Rosso) suffered from with (Sebastien) Bourdais in Friday practice, at exactly the same place.

"A tram line runs beneath the track at that corner and it seems as if static from a passing tram at the very moment Mark was in the corner passed through the ground."

Your Comments

johnbt

"The Singapore MRT line runs across the Raffles City to Marina Bay underground. I think it is propelled by electricity if I'm not wrong."

blueegg

"Ahem. Guys. Read my lips : There are NO TRAMS in SINGAPORE! OMFG!"

johnbt

"I'm very sure there's truth to this incident. Electronics can be complicated. Sometimes technology causes problems that we don't know until it keeps repeating itself at the same point. There should be a solution to this. BMW had a problem with the KERS test when a mechanic had a nasty shock but they've found the cause and solved it. Hey guys/girls, don't run down Mark Webber like this. Give him a chance."

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