Mark Webber

I'm a little puzzled as to why Webber doesn't have a page in the teams and drivers section, as Webber is a pivotal figure in the story upfront. There are questions that need to be asked. Why can Vettel win, and Webber struggle to get on the podium fighting Ferraris and McLarens? Why is the man that was noted as a good qualifier unable to get near Vettel? Did the leg break in late 2008 do him serious performance damage? and What should Webber do in the near future?

Mark Webber. Over to you...

 

[Slyboogy]

Did you notice how completely bemused Webber was in the post qually media scrum with Louise Goodman?

Louise Goodman is with ITV, it was Lee Mckenzie interviewing him.

And I think that Vettel made the difference today the Red Bull's seemed to be quite slow and looked as if they would fight the Ferrari's for grid position.

Webber has been slower than Vettel ever since FP3.

Come race day we will see what happens

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

Louise Goodman is with ITV, it was Lee Mckenzie interviewing him.

In the immortal words of Sean Connery's James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever..."Right Idea, Wrong Pussy"

 

[Slyboogy]

:: just for that last bit!

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

Webber's lost another 8 points to Vettel yesterday and given how good the McLarens are now, it's going to be tough to make up the 85 points in the remaining races.

Webber needs wins now...and if he couldn't get them at RBR tracks when they had the best race car early in the year, how is he going to get them at Spa and Monza where the Mercedes-engined McLarens and the Ferraris should be very strong.

Vettel - seemingly - had a one race blip. Nurburgring. Where the endless questions about the Silverstone 'hold station' instructions irked the young German and got under his skin. Heck, Vettel had nothing to do with the instructions and beat an in form and flat out Webber fairly to the flag anyway. I suppose those types of questions will affect him less and less as he gets older.

Anyway, I'm afraid that, over a whole season, Webber simply has no answer for Vettel. Vettel is a very special talent indeed so there should be no shame in that. Perhaps Mark should simply concentrate on his own qually and race and not worry about "catching" Vettel in the WDC. He'd be better off doing so.

At least he has no shortage of "fight"!

Perhaps Mark can sell some of it to Felipe'?

 

[Slyboogy]

Vettel - seemingly - had a one race blip. Nurburgring. Where the endless questions about the Silverstone 'hold station' instructions irked the young German and got under his skin. Heck, Vettel had nothing to do with the instructions and beat an in form and flat out Webber fairly to the flag anyway. I suppose those types of questions will affect him less and less as he gets older.

That was not the reason why Vettel had a "blip" at the Nurburgring, the new updates didn't work nor suited Vettel's style, so they changed his car late Friday evening at the Hungaroring...

As for Webber, Helmut Marko has came out saying Webber will retire in "2012" whether that means end of this year or next

 

[laFrau]

That was not the reason why Vettel had a "blip" at the Nurburgring, the new updates didn't work nor suited Vettel's style, so they changed his car late Friday evening at the Hungaroring...

As for Webber, Helmut Marko has came out saying Webber will retire in "2012" whether that means end of this year or next

Well, Webber was on Monday evening in "Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar-7" in ServusTV (Mateschitz's TV) and he said he's not sure he wants to keep on driving next season and that this is the reason why he has not signed for next year yet.

ServusTV has uploaded the show in their webpage, if somebody wants to hear it with his/her own ears it's here:

http://www.servustv.com/cs/Satellite/Article/Sport-und-Talk-aus-dem-Hangar-7-011259386881870

Click on Webber’s picture to make the video start. Go to 25:10. That’s where the interview with Webber begins. The part outside the hangar is when he talked about the contract, that he is not sure he has the motivation to drive next year and so on. Once inside the hangar, he’s first interviewed about how the season is going and then with Ricciardo and Dani Pedrosa, etc, they’re talking about programs to take young talents to the top series. Webber also talks about how he made it to F1.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

Hmmm. So Mark is unsure if he wants to continue next year. These are the first signs of a driver about to retire. Alan Jones, the last top Aussie in F1, retired abruptly after the 1981 season. Once the uncertainty starts to creep it, it's close to the end.

I would have thought Webber has one more season left in him (at least) but he knows best. I do think that Webber is a very good driver. Fast, hungry and tough ... and good enough to push Vettel. Going winless over a whole year - while the teammate's won 9 Grand Prix over that period - might be the wake up call.

No?

 

[Galahad]

I think you're right, Ray. Mark is certainly capable of doing a good job for Red Bull next season, assuming the car is good (almost a given), but somehow I doubt the idea of 'doing a good job' is one that gets Mark jumping out of bed in the morning. Unless he can beat Vettel consistently over the remainder of the season - and Christian Horner might make that difficult, as much as Vettel will - then I would not be in the least surprised to see him walk away.

All year he has had the air of a man who missed his best chance - and knows it.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

It's a shame that when he's at his best, he's not that much better than Vettel.

On the other hand, when Vettel's at his best, he's - at times - alarmingly better than Webber.

If Vettel is an All Time Great in the making, then there should be no shame in Webber being within 2-10ths of the young kid...and occassionally being 1-10th faster. No shame at all.

...Unless he can beat Vettel consistently over the remainder of the season - and Christian Horner might make that difficult, as much as Vettel will - then I would not be in the least surprised to see him walk away.

Galahad, I think Horner won't make it difficult per se'. There's a decent chance that Vettel clinces the WDC early which would mean that there won't be any need for team orders.

The problem Webber has - apart from Vettel being blindingly fast most times - is that McLaren and Ferrari might have a superior car in extreme temperature conditions and, as a result, Red Bull might not even win that many more races.

It would be good for Webber to win a GP soon...but all his good work to get onto terms with Vettel within the last 2 months was undone with 1 scintilating lap by Vettel in Q3 at Hungaroring on Saturday.

It left poor Mark totallly speechless in the post qually media scrum.

That lap must have been absolutely shattering!

 

[KekeTheKing]

He's not sure if he wants to race, or he's not sure if he wants to get beat.

Can you imagine any driver saying they weren't sure if they had the motivation to drive the best car on the grid?

Just hang em up Mark.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

Mark Webber's BBC Column:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/formula_one/14395606.stm

Looks like Mateschitz really likes him from what we all know. Webber's a hard-nosed fighter and almost as fast as Vettel most of the time...so it's now up to the Aussie himself to determine if he'll be on the grid next year.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

So we've talked about everyone under the sun - including Mansell, Prost, Senna and even Fangio - but we haven't talked about Webber in two weeks.

So, I have a question:

Will Webber win a race in 2011?

Some are saying Red Bull have been out-developed by McLaren and Ferrari and these next two high speed/low downforce circuits won't help the RB7.

What are the odds of Webber - who is still 2nd in the WDC - going winless this year?

 

[ExtremeNinja]

So we've talked about everyone under the sun - including Mansell, Prost, Senna and even Fangio - but we haven't talked about Webber in two weeks.

So, I have a question:

Will Webber win a race in 2011?

Some are saying Red Bull have been out-developed by McLaren and Ferrari and these next two high speed/low downforce circuits won't help the RB7.

What are the odds of Webber - who is still 2nd in the WDC - going winless this year?

If the McLarens and Vettel have a bad result and if the Ferrari doesnt get on terms, which it looks like it will, then maybe. I think Red Bull are going to struggle for wins from here on in and if they are on the cards for what ever reason then I can see them going Vettel's way.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

 

[Il_leone]

Webber's problems

He's an outsider not considered part of the Red Bull family
He 's not young good looking which are what Red Bull project as a company
He's only got the drive because Flavio manage to rig a deal to give Red Bull Renault engines along with Webber - back pocket money for him to placing him at Red Bull

Everyone knows Helmut is the Dark Lord of Red Bull and prefers the young drivers and would prefer one of them instead of Webber ... he stuck his nose in the Turkey business when it was not his place to...Horner did not help being a turncoat blaming Vettel than Webber a few days later

Webber has to feel everyone is against him to deliver his best like Mansell

Also he is preferring to look at 1 year contracts because he knows he's not gonna get many chances left

However Dieter at least stood up for him which is a good thing for him at Red Bull

As for this season yes he's had the lion share of the bad luck such as Monaco pit stop screw up which ended up with a Vettel win, Spain where Vettel got the early pitstop and won, China with failed kers

BUT he has had his chances and failed to capitalise

like Germany although he said he was on the limit
like Canada - he pitted on dry tyres after Schumacher and really should have dispatched him without fuss but spent too much time going off track everytime...contrasting to Jenson Button who had 1 go at Schumacher and got passed and went after Vettel like a heat seeking missile. I thought that was Webber's best chance to win

Really in the Red Bull he should be doing a lot better ...you can;t help but think Alonso, Hamilton and Button would have been closer to Vettel in the same position....his position is going to be like Rubens Barrichello had at Ferrari being Schumacher's lapdog

 

[Slyboogy]

Webber's problems

He's an outsider not considered part of the Red Bull family

He's loved by Red Bull....bar Helmut Marko.

And he should be ashamed the way he handled Silverstone 2010 and Brazil 2010...all just for his own gain.

Causes trouble where ever he goes, Jaguar, William now Red Bull.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

He's loved by Red Bull....bar Helmut Marko.

Yes, he's been there with RBR from the lean times...when they were finishing 6th and 7th in the WCC in 2008 or 2007 or whatever.

The only fan he doesn't have, per se', is Marko who - naturally - likes promoting his own guys from his driver academy.

Heck, even Vettel didn't blame Webber for attacking him in the final laps at Silverstone last month...said he'd have done the same thing.

 

[Il_leone]

He's loved by Red Bull....bar Helmut Marko.

And he should be ashamed the way he handled Silverstone 2010 and Brazil 2010...all just for his own gain.

Causes trouble where ever he goes, Jaguar, William now Red Bull.

I'll agree with you on that in his early career he thought he was lot better than his teammate and was particularly hard on Antonio Pizzonia who Williams thought was a talented driver but failed at Jaguar...one of the reasons was Webber's attitude towards him as though he was a real threat or got drive through sponsors. He was no different to Christian Klein who had very little respect either for being in the team because hehad $10m of RED BULL sponsorship

At Williams I remember it well he was making noises he was in the big boys league and running his mouth off. Although he was quicker than Heidfeld he generally failed to impress and was outperformed with Nick scoring 3 podiums to his 1 . Even Pizzonia who replaced Heidfeld (after Nick injured his shoulder and then signed for BMW) had outperformed Webber and deserved more from his drives in some races

A typical example of Mark Webber's stupidity and no brains was when he threw away a podium at Malaysia 2005 when he was battling hard with Fisi and he had just gotten past Fisi who decided to duck inside at the last corner. Instead of doing a cutback and yielding the corner he decided to fight tooth and nail with Fisi and because of it tangled with Fisi putting both out and Heidfeld collected a podium. What was stupid was afterwards he said Fisi should have yielded and not bother fighting because his tyres were shot....if that was his thinking then why the hell did he bother fighting back then?
Same with Melbourne last year when he was fighting for position with Hamilton a few times in places really where both were going to lose out

I remember he was not too happy when Williams pitted Heidfeld first at Monaco which meant he was clear of Webber to attack Alonso and finish 2nd

 

[Il_leone]

He's loved by Red Bull....bar Helmut Marko.

And he should be ashamed the way he handled Silverstone 2010 and Brazil 2010...all just for his own gain.

Causes trouble where ever he goes, Jaguar, William now Red Bull.

Where Mark was stupid last year.

Silverstone I can understand his anger because Horner implied he was No2 and made a decision without consulting him and if the boot was on the other foot would Vettel be happy to have obliged as well? Luck is part of F1 and that weekend it was Seb's bad luck his wing broke so to expect Mark to accept it that he was No 2 off course he is going to be angry as would any driver unless you're Ferrari No2

His comment about Horner over the radio..he could have upped the ante and said "Will you now apologise to me then I might "

Brazil - that was such a stupid thing to say when he had been hoping for team backing to say Vettel is the favoured one at Red Bull.. if he said something more positive like we must do everything to maximise ahead of Alonso etc then it may have got the team behind him
The previous year I remember he said Seb will have to do the work himself to get into a winning position when asked if he would help and move over and do a "Rubens" . When a journalist asked him if he will support Vettel if asked to in the race and gave the journalist a cold stare allegedly.

Earlier this season some journalist asked him in the fly away races " Are you No 2 to Vettel in the team" His response was " Absolutely ****ing ridiculous question "

 

[Il_leone]

Yes, he's been there with RBR from the lean times...when they were finishing 6th and 7th in the WCC in 2008 or 2007 or whatever.

The only fan he doesn't have, per se', is Marko who - naturally - likes promoting his own guys from his driver academy.

Heck, even Vettel didn't blame Webber for attacking him in the final laps at Silverstone last month...said he'd have done the same thing.

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Vettel was a bit uneasy at Germany fending off allegations he was defacto No 1 as well as he can't overtake again and he could not give a straight answer when asked if told to hold station he would have done the same.