The ’Vettel to Ferrari’ story that emerged with renewed vigour in recent days was planted to disrupt Red Bull, Dr Helmut Marko has suggested.
Runaway championship leader Sebastian Vettel slammed the story after winning Sunday’s Indian grand prix, calling it "bullsh*t".
Some paddock figures suggested the source of the rumour could be Ferrari itself, whose Fernando Alonso is locked in a head-to-head battle with Vettel for the 2012 championship.
Responding to the rumours, Red Bull’s Marko is quoted by SID news agency: "It was totally unnecessary, because someone just wanted to create unrest for us."
But the Austrian did not point the finger at Ferrari, insisting: "I do not know where it came from. All I know is that it’s not true.
"Sebastian has a fixed contract with us through 2014. And Seb’s not stupid. Alonso is fixed until 2016 with Ferrari and he’s not going to be his teammate."