Nine seasons, four teams, six wins and 159 Grands Prix into his Formula One career, 2010 saw Mark Webber very nearly achieve what many critics said he simply didn’t have in him - winning the Formula One world drivers’ championship.
A few of those critics may still be saying ‘told you so’ after he ultimately lost out to team mate Sebastian Vettel, but the majority must surely acknowledge that this was the year Webber finally proved his true potential.
Nobody seeing those slumped shoulders, as his fellow Red Bull driver celebrated in parc ferme in Abu Dhabi, could have doubted that the Australian was wounded.
But as his regret gradually sunk in, and he journeyed first to Red Bull’s Austrian heartland and then to the team’s factory in Milton Keynes, Webber looked for the positives of his season - and he found many.
Yes, he often had the fastest car on the grid. But then so too did his younger, lighter and more hotly-tipped team mate Vettel.
And it was Webber who was leading Red Bull’s charge to the drivers’ title as they arrived in Abu Dhabi, leading the German by seven points. He also took the title fight to the doors of three former champions, including the man widely hailed as the greatest driver of his generation.
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso are far from easy pickings and Webber’s almost cliched combination of Aussie grit and determination - a combination that when coupled with his underrated talent behind the wheel - has been truly fearsome.
Vettel, the darling of Red Bull’s Austrian owners, was the man expected to lead the team’s 2010 title charge, especially having overshadowed Webber during their first campaign as team mates in 2009. From the outset, however, Webber had other ideas, even if his season didn’t exactly get off to a flying start. Formula 1
He thinks about the “tremendous lows” but is quick to speak of the highs, such as the moment he completed a boyhood dream by winning on the Monaco track.
And then sometimes he’ll think about the man, his teammate, who took it all away and the tumultuous season they had.
They are, as Webber said, two different people.
In July, after winning the British Grand Prix, he accused his team of favouritism after a new wing was removed from his car and fitted to Vettel’s.
“Fantastic guys not bad for a No.2 driver,” Webber said pointedly to Red Bull chief Horner as he celebrated his third win of the season.
At the time, he was furious with the team action.
Today, he says it is great to have competition within the team and believes the rivalry developed with Vettel will benefit the team. Vettel has yet to sign to Red Bull for next season while Webber will go around again.
“We’ve been through a lot. We’ve learnt a huge amount trying to run two drivers towards the final. It’s the first time we’ve done that with both drivers aiming for the championship. This comes with added tensions within your own group. It was inevitable that there were times of tension, but as a group we’re still solid,” he says.
“We’ve been through those headwinds now, you’ve got to go through that misery to get the stripes on your sleeve. It’s not going to be a smooth run with two drivers trying to rip chunks out of each other.”
Webber says he is “pretty calm” during confrontation.
“I can channel it (frustration and anger) into getting the job done,” he says, adding that he’s careful to stand his ground and to maintain his morals and values.
The lesson Webber learnt this year was to be composed. He learnt to stand back, assess the situation, understand it and go for it.
“That helped me massively,” he says. “At certain times I would have liked to have shown a fraction more composure. It’s impossible to always roll a six every time I compete.”
This year gave Webber so many things not least another level of respect from the fan to the F1 alumni. Webber knew he had a year like this inside him, knew he was on the cusp of something great. Herald Sun
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