Downton team principal Bradley Downton has said the falling out that occurred between his drivers during the Bahrain V-Prix is 'behind us', after suggestions Nathaniel Powers was being punished after being replaced by Matteo Zetticci in practice for the Turkish V-Prix. Downton confirmed after the race - won by Powers after he pitted before team mate Klaas van Snelheid and undercut the Dutchman who was leading - that Powers had ignored an order to let van Snelheid back through and proceeded to win the race.
However, when questioned today over the fallout following practice for the Turkish V-Prix - in which Powers was replaced by reserve driver Zetticci - Downton insisted the incident had been cleared up behind closed doors. "Of course this is not that," Downton responded when asked if Zetticci taking Powers' car was a way of punishing the triple World Champion for ignoring team orders. The British outfit have been very open in the past that they would willingly bench a driver for causing a collision or acting outside of the interests of the team. "It was always the plan. This is his fourth outing of six and Matteo will also run in Belgium and Italy, but because it happens now after Bahrain you make a big thing of and a story out of it," Downton added. "As I said we would after the race last week, we sat down as a team when we arrived here in Turkey and discussed everything. Nathaniel accepted that he was wrong by ignoring a team order and apologised to both the team and to Klaas. They usually get on exceptionally well, and it was an odd time when they weren't speaking, but afterwards they also talked privately in Nathaniel's driver room, and all seems good since then." "It happened, it's been sorted, it's behind us. We now move on and focus here. The pace looks good this weekend which we weren't expecting, but for sure we anticipate Mathershaw being better tomorrow."
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