Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber hopes to get a pilot’s licence soon – Formula 1 news
Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber is currently working on his ‘flying skills’ as he plans to get a pilot’s licence soon with the help of the Australian airlines Qantas for which he is already an ambassador.
“Flying is something that has always fascinated me. It was so exciting to have the opportunity to fly over the Albert Park Formula One circuit in a Qantas B737 simulator earlier this year and it really consolidated my passion to fly an aircraft one day.
This is a new challenge for me and as a Qantas Ambassador I'm grateful to have the support of the team at Qantas and learn from the best in the business,” said Webber.
The Australian driver has been fond of extracurricular activities more than most of the Formula 1 drivers as he also took part in a mountain biking event in 2010 as a result of which he received an injury before the last couple of races of the season.
Some claim that Webber was unable to perform at his best and secure the title mainly because of this injury as he took painkillers to be able to drive and had to race with a fractured arm in the last quarter of the 2010 Formula 1 season.
Webber was recently seen at the Heathrow Airport in England posing for some pictures as he plans to be a part of a PR stunt in order to announce his plans regarding flying.
The chief executive officer of Qantas, Alan Joyce stated that the airlines is going to provided the Australian driver with the support and stated that flying an airplane is not going to be a big problem for a Formula 1 driver whose hand/eye coordination
are way better than most of the people.
“I'm sure Mark's driving skills and his excellent hand/eye coordination will put him in good stead in learning to fly an aircraft,” said Joyce.
Nevertheless, Webber has been struggling to cope up with his teammate Sebastian Vettel up until now in the 2011 Formula 1 season and it is believed that the Aussie’s extra-curricular activities have always affected his performance in Formula 1.
It is believed that he might keep his seat at Red Bull Racing for another year since Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull stated that a deal is currently under negotiations, but it has not been confirmed yet.
Webber has not been able to fly a full-sized commercial jet so far in reality but had a chance to try it out in simulators.
Let’s see if the Formula 1 driver can make his way up in the skies.
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