172 replies to this topic

[Boing 2]

ok, some of us need this.......

I'm gutted not to see Mark take it this year but lets not forget this was a guy who spent the first 8.5 years of his career dealing with endless frustration, constant bad luck, poor cars and bad reliability. He was being called the new chris Amon, most people believed he would end his career without so much as a single victory but in the space of one and a half seasons he's gone from that to a genuine number one driver and title contender with multiple wins and poles.

Next year he will sit in a newey designed chassis with another crack at it and when he retires he will do so with wins, poles and a title challenge on his CV and i wouldn't have put money on that a couple of years ago.

hard luck Mate but keep er lit!

[MinT]

Nice bloke but didnt have it when needed...not sure there is any consolation to be had is there ?

Edited by MinT, 14 November 2010 - 16:00.

[H2H]

Webber has also come a long way and 2011 he might have another shot at the title.

H2H

[Boing 2]

Nice bloke but didnt have it when needed...not sure there is any consolation to be had is there ?

I don't agree, for a guy who's career has been so negative for so long to finally get one hand on the biggest prize then lost it at the last race deserves a little consolation. He's made mistakes this year but so have all the contenders, the fact is he's pushed one of the sports brightest young stars right to the end in the same car, he's really stepped up to it this year and deserves a pat on the back.

[Tstag]

Webber has also come a long way and 2011 he might have another shot at the title.

H2H

I feel sorry for Webber because I think next season Ferrari and Mclaren will put up a much bigger fight. This was possibly his best chance. Next year we have Kerrs and both Mclaren and Ferrari will have a better understanding of the rules around things like flexible floors.

[Tstag]

Webber has also come a long way and 2011 he might have another shot at the title.

H2H

I feel sorry for Webber because I think next season Ferrari and Mclaren will put up a much bigger fight. This was possibly his best chance. Next year we have Kerrs and both Mclaren and Ferrari will have a better understanding of the rules around things like flexible floors.

[goat0063]

Mark has had a great year but ultimately did not have what it takes to close down the championship. I would have liked to see him take it but Vettel has deserved it more.

[BigWicks]

He tightened up in the last 3-4 races, shame for him but thats the difference between great and good drivers

[sportzgal82]

i definatly need it - Im shattered and demoalised after tonight - I cant imagine how he feels

I will stand by my statement that it was the polical mind games within Red Bull that ultimatly did his head in

I can only hope two things - one is that now Vettel has one a championship, Red Bull may give Mark better support in 2011 and that the old syaing of 'you have to lose one to win one' is true and this year give him the experiance to deal with that

Edited by sportzgal82, 14 November 2010 - 16:10.

[orndorf]

In the end he cost himself the WDC in Korea so he knows where he has to improve next year.

Great season he should be proud.

[JosTheBoss]

Maybe Mark needs to lose it to really understand how hard he's going to have to work to win it?

He'll either collapse in 2011, or come back and fight Vettel just as hard. Unfortunately, I do suspect the former even as a Webber fan. The 2011 regs wont suit him.

[BigCHrome]

He doesn't deserve anything more.

[HAM]

I fear he will be depressed for a long time...

[sportzgal82]

Great season he should be proud.

he had to battle his own team and his opponents and almost got the job done so your right

2011 we will see a fired up Mark Webber

Edited by sportzgal82, 14 November 2010 - 16:13.

[topical]

I've got to say Webber was absolutely awful today and indeed in qualifying. In fact most of the 2nd half of the season Vettel had the measure of him and definitely deserved the title more. Pity as Webber seems a nice bloke and with this championship Vettel will be the even clearer no.1 at Red Bull and I fear that's Webber's chance gone.

[BigWicks]

he tightened up in the last few races, but thats what separates great drivers from good drivers

[Mayur]

I think he did well this year. People keep saying he had the fastest and most reliable car, but none of the other title contenders except perhaps Button had someone as monumentally fast as Vettel as a teammate. I think there is no greater pressure in motorsport than when trying to keep up with and beat someone who is fundamentally faster than you in the same equipment and keeping this in mind, I can excuse him for his mistake in Korea.

Edited by Mayur, 14 November 2010 - 16:29.

[Bruce]

Tough luck for Webber - a great season but a disappointing result from which it will take a long time to recover.

[Lights]

I don't know whether it was Red Bull putting the screws a bit tighter around his neck, or that he did it himself, but seriously, he's been pretty useless in the last couple of races. It's like he didn't want to win the championship.

[BenettonB192]

He had a great year. tbh before this season i was sure Vettel would wipe the floor with him but he showed that even an old dog still can learn new tricks.
I didn't became a fan of the man tho. He came of quite a bit intrigant this year on several occasions.

Edited by BenettonB192, 14 November 2010 - 16:32.

[zeph]

For me Webber is the real champion this year!



To come as far as he did( even when the team's favorite was always Vettel) is an achievement in itself. I hope he takes heart from the fact that he beat the champ fair and square on several occasions this year.

[Smile17]

I feel really sorry for Mark. But I must say, he has character and I like him even more after today. It looked like he was the only realistic chance for RedBull and then.. in the end it went the other way. He didn't want Vettel to be champion at all, and today he did exactly what Vettel and RB needed.
He was the key to Seb's Wdc win. He will feel terrible about missing what seems like his biggest chance ever and while doing that taking the tite away from his friend and prefered WDC winner Alonso. I think RBR let him down, completely down. I hope he bounces back next year. Nothing lost Mark, new chances will arise.

[kosmos]

Webber drove very well this season, of course with some up and downs like the others, but at the end everything was against him and he choked a little when he needed a flawless perfomance. Great guy, great driver, I hope he will stay in F1 next year.

[Risil]

He had a great year, I think he's fulfilled the promise he showed when dragging the Minardi into 5th on his debut, or all those front-row starts in the evil Jaguar, or that race at Monaco in the Williams-Cosworth when he was comfortable running with Alonso and Raikkonen.

But Vettel outscored him over the season, and he lost way more points due to mechanical failures and bad luck. Can't help but feel the little German was just a little more talented.

As Webber himself said, 'not bad for a number two driver.'

Edited by Risil, 14 November 2010 - 16:42.

[Risil]

Incidentally, is it worth re-evaluating how Webber would've done, had he signed for Renault in 2005? I'm sure he'd have battled Alonso just as hard as he did Vettel.

[Longtimefan]

I really wanted Mark to win it this year and I thought he had a chance up until qually on Sat.

in my opinion his attitude seemed to change after that, like he knew he couldn't do it, so I expected a poor race and thats what we got. Considering Alonso was held up all the time, I'm amazed Mark wasn't up the Ferrari's gearbox waiting for an error but I think he gave up before the race started.

I would not be surprised if he quit F1, not sure his heart is in it anymore.

[Anomnader]

Webber has also come a long way and 2011 he might have another shot at the title.

H2H

I don't think so. Mark should reitre. He won't have a shot at the title, Redbull is there for Vettel, we know that for all there team mates should fight if it had being the other way round they would have being supporting Vettel with team orders.

[seltaeb]

I'm gutted for Mark as well. You have to think that if he was in that points position in any other team near the end of the year (leading his teammate), they'd have thrown their support behind him.

Like one poster said above, I hope for Mark that now that Seb has won a title, the sense of urgency to get their favored son a title has now subsided. Now Mateschitz and Helmut Marko can sleep easily at night. Maybe that will play in Mark's favor next year? If Mark can carry his 2010 form into 2011, maybe he can be in contention again next year and not have to deal with the team politics as much... since Vettel is now WDC and "getting that first one" wont be as much of an emergency as it seemed to be this year.

There's no doubt in my mind that if the points positions were reversed in the final races, they would have had Webber helping Vettel 100%. So in that way, Mark always had the deck stacked against him relative to the other title contenders, in that he had that extra element to deal with.

It's a real shame what happened in Korea for him. I read somewhere that if Mark would have finished Korea (in that place), and finished 8th in Abu Dhabi like he did, he would have been champion.

All in all, Mark had a great 2010, and I hope to see him and Rubens in a competitive car next year.

[hotstickyslick]

Mark knows that this is a chance that he blew. He knows he's had better reliability than most of his rivals and he knows he's underperformed and has ruined his own races and other people's races by being clumsy. I expected alot more. Now Vettel's won the championship he's going to be even harder to beat next year... he may know that his chances of winning a title are gone.

Edited by hotstickyslick, 14 November 2010 - 16:49.

[Group B]

Sadly for MW when he finally got the best car of his career he also got the best team mate of his career.

[ImDDAA]

I like Webber but Vettels mechanical failures flattered him, I don't think he's a worthy WDC simply because there are much better drivers on the grid. Still, good luck to the bloke.

[LoudHoward]

Some great results for Mark, Monaco and Silverstone are wins that can't be taken away, those are the two he would've wanted to win. A few too many mistakes for the year though, and was just lacking a tenth (in general) on Seb on a few important occassions in the back end. Bit worried about the massive confidence boost and momentum Seb will take into next year from this, going to be a tough season for Mark next year but he can only do his best and I was proud of his comments after the race, despite him obviously being gutted.

Generally happy though, maybe he doesn't quite have what it takes to be a world champion, but there were a lot of people who didn't think he could race, couldn't put a string of results together, couldn't even think about getting the title hunt, so good that he's shown them to be wrong. Hell, if Mark makes another step pace wise like he did over last offseason then lookout world

[engel]

IMO Mark went on a points in the bank approach from Spa onwards and in the end it didn't work out for him. He didn't really take the fight to his opponents, he was content putting points in the table. Sage strategy but it came undone in Korea.

Bottom line, he 'll dust himself off and try again next season. Mark doesn't strike me as a quitter. But he needs to accept the part of the blame that lays squarely on his shoulders for the undoing of his own championship bid.

[Absulute]

Choked massively today. Shame.

[MortenF1]

I can imagine how drained he must feel after today. He was just way too much off the pace just today, but overall he's had a spectacular season, and has definately driven to world champion-standards.
As LoudHoward says he's won Monaco and Silverstone now, two races that is hanging high in everybody's tree, but he not only won them but did it in style. World-class drives, and I think those laps in Hungary was also hugely impressive.

He's a good man and he'll be in it again next year!

Mark Webber

[boldhakka]

He publicly asked the team to put all their eggs in his basket and then proceeded to drop the ball. Not cool.

But he held his own through the season and outwitted Vettel several times through good racecraft - he can count this as a solid season.

[EVO2]

Much as I was hoping that Mark would win the WDC this year, I can't help but come to the conclusion that the right person won in the end.

Mark has raised his game this year but has still been out driven by Sebastian over the whole season.

I can't see him beating Vettel in 2011 so perhaps it would be better if he retired and took to DTM or Sports Car racing.

In my view Mark would make a great LeMans competitor - ironically he could take some tips from Dr Marko who won the race in 1971 driving a 917K.


Kimi Raikkonen is the best driver available and would push Sebastian even harder than Mark.

I would pay him only on points scored or race wins.

[BuzzingHornet]

He said he's going to try again with RB next year but I don't buy it. They don't need him now, and he's created quite a bit of bad feeling recently.

I think this was his only chance.

Edited by BuzzingHornet, 14 November 2010 - 18:12.

[BigWicks]

yeah i know he gave a yes answer when asked by the bbc after the race, but i don't think he'll be around next year

[ManiaMuse]

Kimi Raikkonen is the best driver available and would push Sebastian even harder than Mark.

Kimi is not coming back.

End of.

[PNSD]

He had a poor weekend in general.

He did tighten up these last few weekends imo, but it didnt quite show as much as it did with Jenson last year, simply because of the car addvantage RBR maintained.

Vettels and Alonso's season ends were simply amazing. At a time when Webber was feeling the pressure, Seb and Alonso just seemed to get quicker and quicker.

Today he made no impression of ever improving his pace or posistion. A disapointing weekend all round.

I have faith that he'll put up a fight in 2011! I just hope having the #2 on his car doesnt get to him.

[valuk]

I'm gutted for Mark as well. You have to think that if he was in that points position in any other team near the end of the year (leading his teammate), they'd have thrown their support behind him.

Well, Mclaren didn't do it in 2007 and not in 2010.

[billfenner1967]

I'm disappointed for Mark too, though Vettel thoroughly deserved the title. Good for him.

The turning point really was Korea. If only he'd kept it on the road he would have inherited a victory or at worst a podium, which would have probably gotten him over the line. But that's racing. Hard game, that.

Have another crack in 2011, Mark!

[hotstickyslick]

Much as I was hoping that Mark would win the WDC this year, I can't help but come to the conclusion that the right person won in the end.

Mark has raised his game this year but has still been out driven by Sebastian over the whole season.

I can't see him beating Vettel in 2011 so perhaps it would be better if he retired and took to DTM or Sports Car racing.

In my view Mark would make a great LeMans competitor - ironically he could take some tips from Dr Marko who won the race in 1971 driving a 917K.


Kimi Raikkonen is the best driver available and would push Sebastian even harder than Mark.

I would pay him only on points scored or race wins.

And how do you know that? Btw, the RB6 tends to suffer from understeer.

[Massa_f1]

As much as i wanted Mark to win i have to admit Vettel has been the fastest driver of anyone on the grid this season. Its a shame Marks car just didn't seem to have the pace this weekend things could of been different.

next year hopefully.

[Dunder]

He will be gutted right now (since Friday, I suspect) but ultimately he should be very proud of this year.

He is up against a very good teammate who is the focus of Red Bull and to have matched him blow for blow is no mean feat. The mistake in Korea was pivotal but I can't help thinking he was overly conservative since around the time of the race at Monza.

I think that the RB7 will have to be as good as the RB6 if Webber is to win a WDC but I hope he keeps his chin up.

[Mandzipop]

I said this yesterday and I'll say it again. Mark went into this without the experience of fighting for a championship. Seb gained that experience last year. He was mentally more prepared for it than Mark. If he stays and can pick himself up, and crucially if the car is good enough, he will have a better preperation next year. The problem he has for next year is that Seb has already won a championship.

[Alfisti]

I'm going to disagree with virtually everything said here.

I don't think he stepped up a gear this year at all, not for a second. Some of you just notice him because he's at the front but he's done this year what he has always done, been blindingly quick some places and off the pace in others. He's always had the pace win monaco and to do well at other tracks he likes but with a fast guy in the other car his inconsistency from track to track finally got the better of him.

On one track he's the fastest man on earth, on most his that tenth off of Seb and at too many he's half a second off which one just cannot be in a title fight.

The turning point was not Korea either, it was Monza. Through sheer dumb luck Seb got ahead when it looked like his championship was over and he gained momentum from there.

I do not believe for a second that Mark tightened up towards the end, he ran poorly in Singapore, Korea and Yabbi Dahhbi as expected and was mighty quick on the more traditional Suzuka and Brazil. TO seb's credit, he found that extra tenth when he needed it, or even less at times, and it counted. I just don't think he was quick enough.

He fundamentally had an average year, his starts were atrocious in 19 of 20 races and too many times he'd struggle for control on a full tank on the first lap and lose places. In saying that I do not believe he made any more errors than anyone else in the top four, all four of them made at least three to four costly errors over 20 races.

Mark is very, very fast at flinging F1 cars around race tracks but needs to be settled in the car. Starts, cold tyres, in laps, defending etc are all weak points.

[billfenner1967]

He fundamentally had an average year, his starts were atrocious in 19 of 20 races and too many times he'd struggle for control on a full tank on the first lap and lose places. In saying that I do not believe he made any more errors than anyone else in the top four, all four of them made at least three to four costly errors over 20 races.

Yeah, I'd agree with your assessment there. Webber qualified better this year than last, but still was slightly off Vettel when it mattered. And as for his starts -- was he always that inconsistent when starting? Perhaps I'd never noticed before because in past years he'd be 5th or lower, but because this year he had 5 poles and was usually on the first two rows, we've all begun to notice how poor he's been off the line.

Anyway, Webber had a successful year. Four wins and, what, 10 podiums? Not too shabby. But, he should have had more. And I'm sure he knows it, deep down. We'll see how he fares in 2011. Hope he bags a few more victories in what will most likely be his final year.

Edited by billfenner1967, 14 November 2010 - 19:39.

[One]

I personally do not know what Webber can improve the next year, and it is because he had done well. I believe that Webber himself knows this exactly.
I do say that h needs to get rest and go for it once more the next year.