As time went by at Red Bull, Webber felt the sense that he was becoming more and more of the number two driver in the team, almost like a toy that is collecting dust in a closet while the kid plays with something newer and flashier. The feelings would begin to boil over and created animosity not only between he and Vettel, but also the management.
Two incidents of that nature stuck out: at Silverstone in 2011 and Malaysia in 2013.
At Silverstone he felt his car was compromised due to Vettel having issues in practice and damaging his front wing, when the team later gave Sebastian Mark’s front wing off of his car. Webber eventually went on to win the race, but not without letting the team know his displeasure with the weekend.
“Not bad for a No. 2 driver,” he said with displeasure evident in his voice and a mistrust that could be felt.
In Sepang, Webber looked to be the man to take the top step of the podium, but in the closing stages of the event, with Red Bull running one and two and Webber giving chase to Vettel, Sebastian ignored team orders to pull over and let his Australian teammate by.
Vettel won the race and the relationship between the two became irreparable.
At season’s end of 2013, Webber decided it was best to head to leave Formula One, as Red Bull wanted to move Daniel Riccardo to their main team and he would be the odd man out. He answered the call from the factory Porsche team to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
While Webber’s F1 career finished with nine career wins, 42 podiums, 13 poles and 611 laps led, his success in the FIA World Endurance Championship was even more impressive.
He went on to win the 2015 WEC championship with victories at the Nürburgring, Circuit of the Americas, Fuji, and Shanghai, and his career marks with three rounds to go this year sit at seven wins, 12 podiums and seven poles in his three years with the team.
The 40-year-old is a respectable, one-of-a-kind sportsman and individual whose competitive fire burns more fierce than others could hope to imagine. He has always been someone who had the talent but seemed to be overlooked and put off to the side.
At a time where the drivers that many in my generation grew up with are retiring left and right, it almost is the end of an era.
While Webber’s success in F1 wasn’t as prominent as maybe one would have liked to see, he did make his presence known and he made it clear many times that he was in fact for real.
He’s another one of the good guys that actually has, in fact, finished first. And he’s a face I’ll miss seeing in competition.
I tip my hat to you, Mark, as all of us motorsport fans should for what you’ve accomplished. Best of luck in the next chapter.
The opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Race Chaser Online, the Performance Motorsports Network, Scorpion Radio Group, their sponsors or other contributors.
About the Writer
Rence Brown is Race Chaser Online’s West Coast-based correspondent, who currently resides in California and carries a deep passion for NASCAR, but is a follower of multiple forms of auto racing across multiple disciplines.
Brown, 23, is going back to school to pursue a journalism degree at Pierce College.
Email Rence at: rcorencebrown@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @RenceTheFence
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