Where to for MW in 2009?

Question

With Mark Webber's contract only in place till the end of the season where do you think he will end up? With recent results most would argue that he is at the peak of his career in terms of performance which would mean his stakes are well and truly high. I feel that he will most likely sign a new deal with Red Bull however Toyota or BMW or even Renault maybe a real possibility.

Answer 1

I think Webber was overrated till he got his Williams drive. After he couldn't beat Nick Heidfeld at Williams ( Nick was leading Webber when he got injured or quit the team or whatever it was ) , his stock fell quite a lot.

He has been doing very well at Redbull, but I have to say that he missed his best chance to impress everyone , while he was a Williams. Although not a top car, the Williams was reasonably competitive ( They had a podium if i remember properly) and that was his best chance to impress the bosses of other top teams. Everyone expected him to blow away Nick completely ( Webber was the driver who was signed on first and Nick was signed on as the second driver coz Webber didnt get on well with Pizzonia ) , but that didnt happen. Till that point of time, he was rated quite high by almost everyone in the paddock.

The sad thing is that he has improved quite a lot since his Williams days and he is perhaps at his peak today, but his stock is not as high as it used to be earlier. I think his best hope would be that the Redbull improves a lot and his team like him a lot. I dont realistically see any other option for him at present.

Answer 2

I think he's happy at Red Bull now they seem to have made a sturdier car (in terms of engine/gearbox etc. NOT the car itself... that looks very fragile) that he can use to get himself consistent points... throughout his career he either has had a car that breaks down or is slow, or sometimes he hasn't been good enough (Williams 2005... good car... poor performances)

But now I think he will be part of the Red Bull line-up next year... I think DC is still weighing up his options... because his no-score yet isn't just down to him.. he has been unlucky... but Seb Vettel is waiting in the wings...

Answer 3

Mark Webber is a bizarre situation. Some rate him very high, some don´t.

IMO he is a very consistent driver, who was unlucky in the past, but for some reason I do not see him as a top driver.

Great drivers always end up in great teams somehow, I meanKimi was hired by Mclaren when he was hardly nobody.

Alonso too (He had an offer from Ferrari after only 10 laps in a Formula one). Lewis is another story but he endeed up in a great team.

Team managers see these guys every race WE, they know all the pilots, so there must be some reason why they do not hire one or another. Look at Vettel, everybody says he will end up in a big team. Kubica is rated as a future WDC. So is Rosberg (although I don´t see him).

Vettel never had this kind of hype. OK, sometimes you´re at the wrong place at the wrong time. But 8 years in a row?

I do not know. I really like him (he brings much more to RBR than DC) and he has big common sense when you read or hear his quotes, but he must lack something. I don´t know...

Answer 4

I have a lot of time for MW. The fact that he seems to have been relatively unsuccessful so far in F1 is not due to his lack of ability IMO. I believe he is an excellent F1 driver who has not had the best of luck with his cars. I think he should stay with an apparently improving team and prove to all of us that he has talent which he has not always been able to show to date.

Answer 5

He will replace Fisichella in force india   ;-D

Answer 6

Red Bull or Renault, ( he is managed by Flavio Briatore). Webber had the chance to join Renault in 2005 but choose Williams, oops!

Answer 7

We must face the facts - Webber does not have high stock. At least not with the top 3 teams. His stock is not even as high as someone like, say, Nico Rosberg. The hype machine is an amazing thing. A driver like Sebastian Vettel would sooner get a drive with BMW than Mark Webber. And in fact, I would hazard a guess that if Heidfeld is replaced, it will be with the unproven but highly rated Vettel.

The best Webber can do is sideways steps. To Renault or to Toyota. It is a big call, considering that all of the mid-pack teams boast a fair bit of potential leading into 2009. I believe the best thing he can do is stay with Red Bull. If Webber is ever going to win a race or fight for podiums, it will be because Adrian Newey and Geoff Willis build a Red Bull rocket ship for 2009 or 2010. It won't be in a Ferrari or a Mclaren. Webber will need what Alonso got at Renault; a team that works around him and punches out a couple of phenomal seasons.

That is the state of play and F1 is a tough game. But then, if wins and wdc came cheap, there wouldn't be a spectacle.

Answer 8

I think he'll still be in Red Bull, if he keeps up or improves his current form. He's a really good driver that just happens to be in the wrong car at the wrong time soemtimes. But this time he's in a good car and is outdoing DC. He should stick to RBR. ANd if they don't want him, too bad for them. He may not have any wins to his name but he's really fantastic and can even give frontrunners a run for their money

Answer 9

in behrain

Answer 10

The top teams are McLaren, Ferrari and BMW.

His best bet would be with BMW if they lose Kubica.

He fits the profile, fast, hard racer, team player.

Perhaps as a replacement to Heidfeld if keeps underperforming.

Renault?

They're more accomplished than Red Bull but not necessarily a better choice for next year, they may have a good background but Webbo doesn't have many years of hard racing in him left, he needs to get into a fast car like now.

Answer 11

Red Bull, surely. The guy's a straight talker. When he says he is "massively keen to stay at Red Bull", that's exactly what he means. I don't think there is any reason whatsoever to fire him. He's doing bloody well.

I don't think Flavio would want both Webber and Alonso in the same team (at Renault), neither would Alonso want him as his teammate (too competitive). BMW-Sauber is an option, but remember Webber was one of the people at Williams who urged Frank to cut ties with BMW? Mario wouldn't forget things like that.

Honda, Toyota, Ferrari, McLaren - I don't think so.