"Had I understood the message, then I think I would have thought about it, reflected on what it means, what the team wants me to do, to leave Mark [Webber] in first place and me finishing second. And I think I would have thought about it and probably done the same thing because Mark doesn't deserve [the victory]," [Sebastian Vettel] said.
Pressed by Reuters on why he felt Webber, who had obeyed instructions to turn down the engine and look after the tyres, had not deserved to win, Vettel replied bluntly: "I don't like to talk ill of other people. It's not my style. I think I said enough. The bottom line is that I was racing, I was faster, I passed him, I won."
The tone of the encounter was set from the first question enquiring of Vettel how he felt to be the 'bad guy' after previously being the 'good guy'.
"I don't consider myself the bad guy," replied the 25-year-old, who said on Wednesday that he had apologised to the team after the race for his act of disobedience but not for winning.
"I don't think I did something that was particularly bad."