Webber takes on “must-win” stance
Championship leader Mark Webber of Red Bull has admitted to feeling the impending pressure of the 2010 season with four races left to go and five capable contenders fighting for the title. The Australian,
who sits at the top of the rankings with 202 points, has acknowledged that even consistency in podium finishes will not be enough, and that he must strive for first place if he is to earn the Formula 1 title.
“I still need to win races,” Webber insisted, according to BBC Sport. “Podiums are beautiful to get, of course. They’re important. [But] whether there’s going to be reliability to still play a part in
this championship, I still need to win some races.”
Webber has stunned critics this year, after emerging from beneath the shadow of team-mate Sebastian Vettel of Germany. Though the 23-year-old prodigy has earned seven pole positions throughout the season
and several podium finishes, the driver has quaked under race pressure and failed to capture more than two wins. But for 34-year-old Webber, who has thus far secured four victories, handling the heat of the F1 circuit is something that he takes in his stride.
“I’m very much at ease with what I’m about to go and do,” he told reporters last week. And it is the collected calmness which team bosses and critics alike recognize as the most powerful mentality for race-winning strategy.
Yet Webber wishes for no regrets this season, and is understandably showing slight signs of anxiety after losing Singapore to thrilling comeback hero Fernando Alonso last weekend. Red Bull’s performance
was outshone by Ferrari, and the team – though still at the head of the constructor’s championships – are hoping to redeem their points through hopefuls Vettel and Webber.
“This was, hopefully, my toughest weekend of the year out of the way and I can perform better on other tracks,” reflected Webber. “We know non-finishes hurt us a lot, in the end I got from fifth on the
grid to third [at Singapore]. [But] I think we can be good [in Japan], so we're ready for it.”
When asked about the tough and gruelling campaign, which was expanded to 19 races this year, Webber commented, “It’s a long, long season. You look at a lot of other sportsmen and women competing from basically
February through to November week-in, week-out. It’s not like tennis or golf where you can decide what tournaments you want to do, we have to rock up every weekend, so does the team. We’re flying around the world. This is all part of it. Maximum concentration
and focus from all the team and all the individuals involved.”
Yet with Webber’s resoluteness, endurance, and patience, the driver still retains good hopes of claiming the crown of what has become one of the most exciting seasons in F1 history.
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