F1 News: Red Bull’s Mark Webber Determined Not To Let the Pressure Get to Him
Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber, who currently leads the Formula One Drivers’ Championship with 187 points, has insisted that he is relaxed and confident ahead of this weekend’s Grand Prix in Singapore. 2010 might be the veteran
driver’s last chance of winning the sport’s ultimate trophy. It’s no secret in the paddocks that the 34-year old Australian is in the twilight of his career. There is a surfeit of talented new drivers, all hoping to land a seat in motorsport’s most prestigious
race, Formula One. Thus, the position of older racers, like Webber, and even the seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher, is increasingly insecure in the world of Formula One.
Nevertheless, with true Aussie grit, Mark Webber is not letting the pressure get to him. However, the Red Bull driver said he was bent on ensuring the season did not end in regret for him. The Australian will go into the weekend’s
Grand Prix in Singapore with a five point lead over McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who occupies the second spot in the standings with 182 points. And Webber is determined to consolidate his advantage over the English World Champion further.
The Red Bull man said that he would be giving his hundred percent this weekend to ensure he did not disappoint his team and, indeed, himself. Webber remarked that it was a great achievement for team Red Bull to be in the contention
for both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships.
With just five races to go before the 2010 season comes to a conclusion, the race for the title remains wide open. A mere 24 points separate the top five drivers in the standings. This means Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, Red Bull’s
Sebastian Vettel and McLaren’s Jenson Button are still in the race for the 2010 trophy.
Webber, whose contract with the Austrian Red Bull team extends till the end of the 2011 season, is well aware that he might not be able to contend for the championship title again. The ageing driver confessed he wished he was still
a decade younger and hence could have a higher probability for taking home the title. Webber said that although it was extraordinary that he was competing for the championship, it was important not to get carried away.
In the past 8 years of F1, this is the first time Mark Webber has been the man to beat at such a critical stage in the competition. However, in spite of his inexperience at being at the forefront of the championship standings,
the Australian said he was taken by surprise at how relaxed he was in face of the situation. Webber stated that it was imperative for him to cross the finish line for each of the remaining races of the season, echoing the assertion his rival Lewis Hamilton
made in an interview only a couple of days ago.
Webber said that he was unconcerned by the number of candidates for this year’s title. The Australian reasoned it did not matter whether one had three championship rivals or six, for the most important thing was to give one’s utmost
into doing well under all circumstances.
Whereas the other two teams in the title contention have won the trophy many times before, Red Bull Racing has yet to record their name in the Formula One Hall of Fame. It is also the case that three of the championship contenders
- Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button - have already won the world championship trophy. Whether it is an advantage for the Austrian drink-making team to be treading some unchartered waters or not is an issue time will resolve.
Webber, meanwhile, is convinced his team can benefit from its relative deprivation in the world championship trophy collection department, for it will give the team added motivation to work harder in its bid for the title. Only
time will tell whether Webber is right or not.
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