With Daniel Ricciardo impressing the Formula 1 fraternity with his Vettel-beating performances, it’s easy to forget about his predecessor Mark Webber.
Webber is gearing up for what could be the crowning glory of his motorsport career, victory at the famed Le Mans 24 Hour.
His inability to beat Vettel and the weight of expectations in his 11-year grand prix career has left an uncertain legacy for Webber.
While he won nine races, including success at the Monaco grand prix, he is, unfortunately, better known for his failings in Australia. This will become even more so should Ricciardo surpass his achievements.
Webber is now away from the Formula 1 spotlight in the sportscar World Endurance Championship in the factory-backed Porsche team.
Sportscar racing, let’s not forget, put Webber on course for Formula 1, having won races for the AMG Mercedes-Benz outfit in 1998 before an aerodynamic flaw in the CLRs caused a series of infamous flips at Le Mans in 1999.
Fifteen years on, having turned his back on sportscar racing following that Le Mans disaster to pursue an open-wheeler career, Webber returns to the 24-hour classic looking for redemption.
Porsche has had a solid start in its return season with the new 919 Hybrid. Webber and co-drivers Timo Bernhard and Kiwi Brendon Hartley scored a podium in the season-opening event at Silverstone, while the sister car was on pole position for the most recent event at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Toyota team won both those events and heads to Le Mans as the favourite amongst the prototype class, with the TS040 Hybrid the quickest and most reliable current package and a driver line-up stocked with former Formula 1 drivers and sportscar experts.
While Audi has had a challenging start to the sportscar season with its R18 e-tron Quattro, it’s far and away the best-performing manufacturer at Le Mans in the current era with 12 wins since 2000 and four in a row heading into 2014.
But Porsche, despite its recent arrival, is not far off Toyota and Audi and could, conceivably, compete for the win should pace, reliability and luck go its way at Le Mans.
And just imagine what a Le Mans win would mean for Webber… Perhaps it wouldn’t have the prestige of a Monaco grand prix win, certainly in the mainstream consciousness where motorsport categories outside of Formula 1 tend to be invisible.
But victory would help Webber add to his motorsport legacy, helping to gain the recognition he deserves in Australia and in the wider motorsport world.
This current sportscar campaign will be the final act of Webber’s career, considering the 37-year-old has a long-term contract with Porsche.
He has turned his back on Formula 1 and has shown little in interest in touring car categories such as V8 Supercars.
Even if he doesn’t win at Le Mans in 2014, the endurance classic looms as Webber’s crowning glory.
The 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours will be held on held on June 14 to 15.
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