Mark Webber

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Mark Alan Webber is a professional motorsport racer from Australia and he is currently plying his trade for the constructors’ champions Red Bull racing in the Formula 1 circuit. He was born on the 27th of August, 1976 in a simple family where his father was a motorcycle dealer and his mother was just a simple housewife. Webber was interested in sports from his very childhood and he used to spend his afternoons as a ball boy for the Canberra Raiders that was the champion rugby team of the Australian premiership at that time. However, it was in motorsport that his heart truly lay and he has also listed the names of former Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost and Grand Prix motorcycle winner Kevin Schwantz as his idols. Webber started out his racing career with motorcycles and it was not until quite late in 1991, when he was 14 years old that he shifted to four wheels and go karts. He was crowned the champion in New South Wales State Championship in 1993 and from there, he moved up to the Australian Formula Ford championship. He finished in the 14th overall position in his first season and in his next season, he was able to achieve fourth position overall after a few podium finishes on the way.

Mark Alan Webber met championship coordinator Ann Neal during this time and she secured a seven year sponsorship deal with Australian Yellow Pages for him and became Webber’s manager as well. Webber moved to England and raced at the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and in 1996, at the British Formula Ford Championship as well. In 1997, he moved up to Formula Three but due to financial restraints, he almost had to quit midway through the season before he got significant held from Australian rugby legend David Campese. Mark Alan Webber signed for Minardi in the 2002 season and made his first foray into Formula 1bewfore switching to the Ford owned Jaguar in before the start of the 2003 season, where he stayed till the end of the 2004 season. He raced for the Williams team for the 2005 and 2006 seasons before joining his current team Red Bull Racing before the start of the 2007 season. It was with Red Bull Racing that Mark Alan Webber was able to achieve his dream of standing at the top of the podium and all 6 of his victories have come with Red Bull Racing.

WEBBER FINISHES STRONGLY

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Mark Webber grabbed his highest ever finish in his home Grand Prix on Sunday in Melbourne, but still felt that he should have finished on the podium. The top three spots were claimed by the two McLarens split by Vettel, and with the new McLaren MP4-27 looking extremely strong, there is no shame in a fourth place, particularly after a poor start which needed making up for during the course of the race. The Australian blamed is slow start on a clutch issue, and from 5th place on the grid he instantly slipped to 9th behind several midfield drivers who’d started well.

The rest of the race saw Webber slowly but surely rising up the order, and in the final two or three laps he was putting significant pressure on Hamilton who seemed to be finding his tyre degradation difficult to manage. “The result’s okay. The performance? I could have had any result today if we performed better at certain periods, ie the first lap,” said Webber. The next race takes place in Malaysia, and Webber, backed by his Red Bull team will be hoping to make it onto the podium to set the standard for the rest of his season.

Red Bull must also use the week to use the data they gathered in Australia to try to regain the technological edge they have enjoyed over their closest rivals McLaren for the previous two seasons. “Last night we were pretty concerned at the gap to the leaders. There’s plenty to take out of it for the team,” Webber said just after the race.

The Malaysian Grand Prix tends to favour cars that can handle speed in the longer corners, and since there are plenty opportunities to use this advantage to good effect, Webber thinks that the new RB8 that he and Vettel are driving should perform well. “In general, we have a huge amount of confidence to go to Malaysia with, which is very reassuring,” said the Australian.

“Looking at Malaysia, the car should work pretty well on the Sunday again. But there’s work to do on the Saturday, not least if Fernando Alonso carries on like he is.” If Webber works out how to get the most out of the car, he has a great chance, but McLaren look so strong that he still has a real challenge on his hands to finish consistently in the top three this season.

WEBBER BACKS HAMILTON

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Red Bull Racing diver Mark Webber thinks that McLaren driver and former world champion Lewis Hamilton can get back his best form, but has pepped up his F1 rival to have a look in the mirror and work out what is best for Lewis.

The British driver really had an up and down period in the 2011 season as he got involved in many controversial happenings on the race track and serious issues in his personal life also. But the sole Australian driver in the F1 grid Mark Webber thinks that the former world champ will surely be a threat in this season. Webber told that Hamilton was involved in several incidents than he would have proffered but Lewis is clearly gifted behind the wheel.

Mark Webber was speaking in an exclusive interview with BBC Radio 5 live, stressed that he really did not feel that Lewis deserved some criticism which came his way for his up and down performance last year.

Webber told that it is quite normal for a sportsperson to go through some headwinds during their career, especially someone like Hamilton who had enjoyed so much success quite early in his career, he is black and has partner of profile. This is of interest to a lot of people and it needs managing. Webber is expecting that Lewis would come back, but not too strong. As a competitor, Webber is hoping that Lewis can understand his potential, but as a competitor, Mark would still want to beat him.

Last season, Webber had his own problems. He won only one race whereas his team-mate Sebastian Vettel got 11 podiums in his way to the driver’s championship. But this time, Webber is confident that he can challenge his team-mate more closely in this season.