Formula One - Mark Webber: Red Bull Are Every Bit Up to the Challenge
As the Australian proved it at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Mark Webber teamed with Red Bull is a race-triumphing pair. And as this month’s Formula One summer break commences, Webber has warned rivals that he has no intentions of slowing down.
Although the Australian did not manage to take the pole in Hungary, ending runner up to teammate Sebastian Vettel, he impressively won the Hungarian Grand Prix race. It was Mark Webber’s fourth triumph of the season, and he flew to victory with an advantage of nearly 18 seconds over Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.
Of course, Red Bull’s detractors have also made themselves heard. They have asked whether the RB6, and especially its creative front wing, can reproduce the sort of results it celebrated at Hungaroring on all tracks. Mark Webber, however, has complete faith in his car.
On the Austrian team’s official website, Webber remarked that Red Bull had shown their car was suited to all tracks. The Australian speculated the RB6 would hopefully not disappoint in Singapore, Brazil, Abu Dhabi and Suzuka, but professed he was slightly sceptical over what to expect from his car at venues with longer straights, such as Monza, Italy. Nevertheless, Webber said, the RB6 had performed strongly on most circuits and therefore his side is well armed to take on its rivals at all venues.
With such faith in his vehicle, Mark Webber is optimistic he can make a few more valuable additions to his trophy cabinet this year, having already bagged prizes in Spain, Monaco, Britain and Turkey. The Australian said he would relish victories in Spa, Suzuka and one or two other venues. Webber said that he felt fortunate to have already realised some of his goals for the year, but added that he had some crucial runs coming up after the Formula One summer break; prestigious events he would love to win.
However, the down to earth Aussie is definitely not getting carried away with his hard-earned success. As Webber anticipates some relaxation over the following couple of weeks, he professes he and the squad must struggle harder to gain consistency if Red Bull is to have a victorious chance at the championships also.
Webber stated that on some circuits the team had left something to be desired or he himself had not been at the top of his game. Webber said Red Bull had had a few issues with consistency this year, and warned that the team had no room for errors if it wished to triumph at the championship level. Each event yielded 25 points and there was a need to achieve meaningful results at all races, Webber insisted.
Mark Webber currently leads the championship with a four point advantage to McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton at 161 points in the standings. The Australian said it was too early to speculate over who would win the title, considering the top five title contenders had a mere 20 points between them. The Aussie’s comments were coming after his manager Flavio Briatore tipped the current championship leader to win the 2010 Drivers’ title. The Italian said his charge had been remarkably impressive at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and he had a very good chance of winning the 2010 Drivers’ title if he continued in this form. Briatore took care to mention he was backing Webber for the title not because the Aussie was one of his clients, but because of the unmistakable talent Webber had displayed this season. Full of praise for Webber, Briatore said the Red Bull driver had the maturity and cool-minded attitude that was crucial for putting up a meaningful challenge for the championship trophy.
Meanwhile, BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Formula One pundit Eddie Jordan has also pointed towards Mark Webber as his favourite for the 2010 title.
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