Engines revving for Mark Webber
Red Bull’s Mark Webber is making a bid for a victory in the Korean Grand Prix taking place on Sunday, October 24, bringing him in striking distance of his first Formula One title. His decision on Friday night to take a fresh engine for the event could boost
his chances considerably.
Since the Italian GP, Webber was the only one of the championship contenders who didn’t opt to take a fresh engine. Because the Korean race will prove decisive in determining the outcome of the F1 season, Webber made the decision to call in the reserves,
taking his eighth and final engine.
While the advantage of a new engine is not expected to be a decisive factor in qualifying, speed and power will be essential for the long straights of the 5.621 kilometres of the Yeongam circuit.
Webber’s prudence at the Italian GP seems to be paying dividends for the Red Bull star, whose fortunes contrast those of his rivals, like Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
Losing his engines earlier in the campaign, Alonso has been obliged to guard his power-units up to the Abu Dhabi race by not pushing his car to its upper limits. This forced conservatism is troubling to Ferrari team’s principal, Stefano Domenicali, who is
hoping engine reliability will not be an issue.
"If we will have any reliability issues, then it will be really traumatic, as it would be almost impossible then to recover points we need to recover, if we want to fight with Red Bull and McLaren, as they are extremely strong. We cannot really have any
problems, otherwise it is finished."
Clearly, Webber is not operating under the same constraints. With three races to go, the Australian enjoys a 14-point lead over his teammate, Sebastian Vettel. Therefore, if Webber outscores Vettel in Korea, Webber will automatically beat him in the standings.
As the F1 gears up for this coming Sunday, F1 fans and pundits will be watching to see if Webber’s new engines will allow him to roar to victory.
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