"Not bad for a No. 2 driver" - A tribute to Mark Webber

Mark Webber bid goodbye to a 12 year career in Formula One at the end of the 2013 season

He will be remembered as someone who went about his job without much fuss, someone who preferred to be least pretentious than other drivers who raced alongside him. Even after coming close to that elusive Championship title in 2010 he went ahead against all odds only to say goodbye in 2013 after an illustrious Formula One career. It’s difficult to sum up a 12 year long career of tribulations, hope and achievements but here’s an attempt to pay tribute to the Formula One career of the straight-talking Aussie.

Initial Struggle

Webber had the uncanny ability to muscle the Jaguar brillianlty in qualifying sessions.

Overcoming his struggle of being cash stricken in Formula Three to almost driving for Arrows, Mark’s Formula One story got off to a start after he got a three race deal with Paul Stoddart owned back-marker team, Minardi, for his home race at the Australian GP in 2002. With a hard fought fifth place finish on debut ,despite starting 18th and problems to his car, his raw driving talent during the season was noticed and he got a drive for Jaguar in 2003.

While Jaguar wasn’t the fastest on the track, Webber was able to push it to the limits especially in qualifying (third in Brazil,Hungary) and was a notch above teammates Antonio Pizzonia and Juston Wilson in the races. A memorable race for the young Australian was the Austrian GP where despite starting from the pit-lane he finished seventh in the race. The 2004 season wasn’t the best in terms of points and race finishes but Webber continued to impress with his one-lap wonders in qualifying(second in Malaysia).

Webber continued his great form in qualifying with the Williams but the car remained non-competitive and suffered from reliability issues.

Webber was chosen by Sir Frank Williams for 2005 and he accepted to drive with the historical team despite another offer from Renault. Williams appeared to be a safer bet with Renault being a fledgling team. But the decision proved to a sort of an anti-climax as Renault won both the Constructor’s and Drivers Championship with the Williams suffering a dent hugely due to reliability issues. While he got his first podium with Williams in 2005 at the Monaco GP, 2006 wasn’t as fruitful and only added to the frustration of the Aussie being unable to secure a win in a 4 year career.

The Red-Bull Era

Webber was partnered by David Coulthard in the Red-Bull for the 2007-08 season

Initial years with Red-Bull (formerly Jaguar) were reminiscent of the earlier stint with the team lacking pace and stability but Webber as hopeful as ever and at his gritty best, continued to impress in qualifying outpacing his teammate David Coulthard for two seasons. The moment of triumph at Red-Bull came with a podium finish in the 2007 European GP. 2007 Japanese GP only corroborated his grit as he drove despite suffering from food poisoning and was in second-placed only to be taken out by none other than Sebastian Vettel in the Toro Rosso.

Webber celebrated his first win at the 2009 German GP.

2009 was the season where Webber looked to win races while recovering from a broken leg. The first win took a long time coming – 130 races but the taste of victory at the German Grand Prix was sweet and it was followed by a second in Interlagos. However, new teammate Sebastian Vettel managed to comprehensively out-qualify and out-score the veteran Australian.

A young driver beating him was probably the motivation that spurred Webber on and in 2010 propelled with a fast car and he went on to challenge his young teammate Vettel and Fernando Alonso head on for the world title. With the title heat on, the relationship between the teammates soured as it appeared that Vettel was the team favourite.

The collision in Turkey and Vettel getting an improved front wing for the British GP showed signs of the young driver being given preferential treatment. Webber squeezed the win at Silverstone and true to his character mouthed “Not bad for a No.2 driver” on the team radio after crossing the line. The showdown of the rivalry was at the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi where Webber who had a chance of taking the title along with Alonso and Vettel, was left in the lurch with a botched tyre strategy that ruined his race managing to finish seventh as Vettel won the race and the title.

The Giant Leap by Webber after winning the Hungarian GP in 2010 was symbolical as he fought with teammate Vettel for the title

In 2011, Webber hoping to repeat his bid for the title from the previous year struggled with the new Pirelli tyres as his team-mate dominated the season, managing to win only the final race of the season in Brazil. But Webber enjoyed a more successful season in the RB8 in 2012, with brilliant wins at Monaco and Silverstone a repeat of his wins at the same venues. However, Vettel remained the poster boy for Red-Bull as Webber managed to finish sixth in the points table.

The Goodbye

Webber took of his helmet on the in-lap and bid goodbye to fans after his final race at the Brazilian GP

2013 wasn’t the best season and the Multi21 controversy at the Malaysian GP,only made Webber’s decision to move out stronger and the Le Mans opportunity with Porche seemed lucrative enough. A later flurry of podium finishes made it easier but a win to sign off in the final year of his Formula One career remained a dream. But Webber, the driver did well and will be remembered as someone driver who could extract the maximum out of a Formula One car, one who was probably more human and ready to speak his heart out often with witty one liners.

After 12 seasons, 215 Grand Prix starts, nine wins and forty two podiums, Webber hung up his helmet only to be replaced by a young and fellow Australian driver. Whether the young driver is able to match up to his predecessor’s tenacity and humbleness remains to be seen, there remains no doubt that Webber has left an indelible mark and the Aussie grit will be truly missed in the Formula One paddock and by fans alike.