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The wrecked car of Mark Webber and Red Bull Racing is seen after he crashes out during the Korean Formula One Grand Prix at the Korea International Circuit on October 24, 2010 in Yeongam-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images).
Mark Webber finally ran out of luck and surrendered his world championship lead to Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who won a torrid and wet Korea with just two races left in the Formula One season.
The race looks to have been a game changer for the field, as both Red Bull’s failed to finish, Ferrari completing a podium result for both drivers, with Lewis Hamilton finishing second.
Reigning champion Jensen Button looks to have finally lost all chance of going back-to-back after a poor race saw him finish twelfth. However, it was Webber who will rue his drive the most after crashing out under little pressure.
Webber had beaten his first major hurdle of his race which was expected to be off the start line where he was placed on the dirty side of the grid after qualifying second. Indeed, Webber had lost thirteen places in his last six races with poor launches attributed to gearbox launch problems for both Red Bulls.
Happily for the Australian, constant heavy rainfall at the Yeongam circuit meant a race start behind the safety car. The field initially completed three cautious laps, during which Alonso radioed to his team that conditions were the worse he had ever driven in. The race was red-flagged and suspended for close to an hour.
Finally, the cars returned to slowly lap and clear water, and after several laps where McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton begged organisers over the radio to get racing, the safety car returned to the pits and the race proper began.
As the drivers started to push, Webber held second place behind teammate Vettel who opened a small lead. As the Australian began to push during lap 20, he ran wide onto a kerb, losing control and spinning out into the close concrete walls around the Korean track, before being unavoidably hit by Nico Rosberg.
Webber told the BBC: “Totally my fault, I got a wheel on the kerb on the exit of Turn 12 and it was a very slow motion moment off the back of it. Totally my mistake. Today isn’t my day.”
This was the end of a golden streak for Webber. He had managed a number of saving-type races, where despite never looking like winning, he had managed to continue to eke out a lead in the world championship at Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Singapore and Suzuka.
Vettel took out Jensen Button at Spa when dramatically attempting to overtake, Lewis Hamilton crashed out at Monza when attempting an incredible banzai move, again Hamilton crashing at Singapore when dicing with Webber (who was additionally lucky to survive a hit to his rear right), and at the last race in Suzuka, Kubica lost a wheel while Hamilton’s gearbox lost third.
This all from a bloke who just a few years ago who was so unlucky that other drivers avoided him in case it rubbed off. In fact, if Webber were to have bought a cemetery between 2003 and 2006, people would have stopped dying.
Perhaps Webber handed on his bad luck to his team-mate – as rotten reliability continued to dog Sebastian Vettel. The German led for 45 laps before his Renault engine failed, sending oil and engine schrapnel all over the Korean track. He would have taken the Championship lead from Webber by a handy 11 points, but instead gifted Ferrari a race win.
The Bull’s were left to lament a disastrous weekend in Korea, but will be looking to Brazil in two weeks, where Webber recorded a dominant win in 2009.