Formula One: Red Bull’s Mark Webber Enjoying His Reign as Championship Leader
Fresh from his triumph at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Mark Webber said he was hoping to put his feet up during Formula One’s habitual summer break, devoting time to his dogs and staying clear of planes. Webber admitted that it had been a great but challenging run for him at Hungary, where the start, like on all venues, could have been crucial in determining the turn matters took given the dearth of overtaking opportunities at the Hungaroring circuit. The Australian conceded he had not had the perfect start from the second position in the grid, having gotten caught behind teammate Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Webber elaborated he had then set his sights on overtaking the Ferrari soon as an opportunity emerged, and the emergence of the safety car paved the way for his win. The eventual champion said that his team had told him to stay out when the safety car had taken off, and he had then decided to settle over a long run on soft tyres and develop a 20-second advantage over Alonso before he pitted. Webber explained that anything below a 20-second lead would have meant the Spaniard would have overtaken him en route to a first-place finish. The Red Bull protagonist said that he managed to achieve that, even though his dash had taken a tremendous toll on tyres, one of which felt like a toast at the conclusion of the run! Webber said the victory had been a fitting way to mark his 150th Formula One Grand Prix, even though it had been a bit of a let down for his team that Vettel had suffered from the safety car intervention (Vettel came in third at the race, and at 151 points, is ranked third on the Championship Standings behind Webber and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton).
Webber professed that before the safety vehicle prowl, his principle aim had been to find a way around Alonso’s second place advantage, but somehow he had been able to leave everyone behind. Although Webber now leads the Drivers’ championship, the battle for the ultimate title promises to be extremely tight given there is just a 20 point gap between the five leading drivers in the championship hunt. The Australian stands 4 points clear of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who in turn has a 6 point lead over Sebastian Vettel. Behind them in the standings are McLaren’s Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, who are separated by a mere 6 points. Webber remarked that the five horse race for the trophy meant that he could not afford to lose momentum, but said he was certainly looking forward to taking some time off during his busy schedule over the timely summer break and certainly felt good to be leading the proceedings as the Formula One community took a hiatus from the tracks.
The Aussie said it was true he had been somewhat frustrated with his second place qualifying finish, a campaign slightly dampened by his less than smooth closing lap. Webber conceded he had not had too much fun on Saturday, but on the race day the safety car had conveniently turned the tide in his favour. He further elaborated the ban on refuelling had made it difficult for teams to rely too much on strategy, and on tracks which were not amenable to overtaking like the Hungaroring, a lead around the very initial corner could easily translate into one of the top three places. Webber said his fourth triumph of the season had felt as special and rewarding as the previous victories. He pointed out that all his wins had been well deserved, whether he had taken off from pole position or worked hard to turn fate in his favour. Webber said that it was true his Hungarian Grand Prix triumph had come courtesy of some good fortune, but he was experienced enough to know that one had to be prepared to strike when luck came knocking at their doorstep.
Meanwhile, Webber’s teammate Vettel was left fuming after failing to convert yet another pole position into victory after finding himself on the receiving end of the very safety car procedure that has worked to the benefit of his Red Bull partner.
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