Formula One: Second is the first loser says Webber

Australian driver admits frustration at lack of wins in 2011.

YAS MARINA, ABU DHABI: The day Australia got hammered by South Africa in the cricket field, Red Bull driver Mark Webber admitted frustration after not being able to win any races this year and lagging behind teammate and double world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Webber, who joined Red Bull in 2007 after largely unsuccessful years at ‘non race-winning teams’, managed four wins last season but despite three poles and nine podiums this year, he is yet to seal a win this year.

“Coming from a great sporting nation that is Australia, I know that second is the first loser and that’s not an ideal position,” Webber told The Express Tribune prior to the practice sessions at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. “However, we’re not winning everything at the moment despite being good so I’m in the same boat as most other teams. But what I do take pride in is the fact that there have been only three Australians to stand on the podium in Formula One and I’m one of them. That’s not too bad.”

Webber also rued a poor start to the season where inconsistency on his part, and Vettel’s lethal form, soon forced the Red Bull team to back the reigning world champions as their number one. Reliability issues forced the driver’s poor results  – and also his inability to understand the race, according to Webber – but he hoped to perform in the last two races of the season and start next year with an improved show.

“I’m thinking positive about next year. I’ve come up through non race-winning teams and being in the position that I’m in now, after 30-odd podiums and GP wins, I’m confident that I can do even better next year. Today, I have more points coming into this race than I did last year. But I have zero wins and it looks bad, especially with Vettel having won so many times. The good thing is that I haven’t lost out on points except in Italy and it hasn’t been a disaster year for me.”

Webber, 35, made his Formula One debut in 2002 and notched up just two podiums in the first seven years. However, his performance made a swift turn in 2009 where he not only registered eight podiums, but also managed to finish fourth in the season – an improvement he had not dreamt of while at Jaguar or Williams.

“At Williams, I never really got nice podiums or top results. Here, I’m not winning right now but I’ve won in the past and I’ve been able to race everybody except one guy. Looking back, I didn’t have the results then and what’s more important is now. Last year was an incredible highlight for me, it would’ve been a dream come true but that wasn’t to be but I think I’ve done pretty well.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th,  2011.