Talk about Mark Webber entering the lion's den. The Red Bull drinks empire may well be the brainchild of an Austrian, but Hockenheim is as close to home for the corporate top brass as you're likely to get. Given the German crowd and the fact that the driver across the garage is also German, the Red Bull pit will be no place for a shrinking Australian violet.
Webber is anything but, and as we saw at Silverstone he is more than able to stand his ground. After being forced to hand over his new, improved front wing to Sebastian Vettel the tension in the Red Bull garage erupted into all-out war. On the track, the two cars almost took each other out in the drag to the first corner.
'Not bad for a number-two driver' was Webber's acerbic response over the radio when he triumphed. 'Well done Mark, you can smile now' was the best the pit crew could manage.
According to some reports, Webber's mechanics were taunting Vettel's in the garage. BBC viewers were treated to Eddie Jordan telling Red Bull boss Christian Horner that his congratulations to Webber on the radio weren't genuine. Horner, to his credit, kept his cool and pointed out in a weary fashion that his team had just won the grand prix.
Horner, though, has a serious problem, and the difficulties are coming from every direction. From above, you get the distinct impression that those who have the deep pockets at Red Bull are desperate for Vettel to win. The drinks company is very much targeted at the young and active consumer, making the youthful Vettel a perfect ambassador. It also helps that he was nurtured by the Red Bull Junior Team.
How much interference is coming from senior management only the race team will know, but it's a huge distraction from the task at hand, namely to win the world championship. How else can you explain the fact that a team that has the fastest car and has enjoyed 90 per cent of this season's pole positions trail McLaren in both drivers' and constructors' tables?