As Mark Webber departed the paddock at Interlagos on Sunday evening, now as an ex-Formula One driver, he could hold his head high. Twelve years of sacrifices finally have a full stop.
Ultimately he wasn’t a World Champion, but he had the spirit of one.
Sure, his victories can be counted with the fingers on both hands, but he cherished each as the equivalent of the nine he won in total.
Webber represented the dying breed of a driver from a bygone era, a link to the time which cemented Formula One’s standing as the pinnacle of motor sport.
Where others towed the party line or pandered to corporate speak, he said it how it was, even if it courted controversy.
His infamous “not bad for a number-two driver” jibe, immediately upon claiming the 2010 British Grand Prix, just about epitomises the Australian. In many ways it is this line which defines his time in the sport.
Webber was the perennial underdog, consigned to the supporting role despite his obvious talent. That he made the most of the few opportunities that did come his way is admirable.
For Webber, 2010 will forever be the one that got away. Such is the nature of the sport that all the stars aligned for him just this one season.
His teammate Sebastian Vettel polarises fans, either loved or loathed, though it doesn’t take a genius to figure out in light of his current dominance that he is something special. For Webber to be able to say he was often second only to this man – and on his day did in fact prevail over him – is no mean feat.
The euphoria of his long-awaited first victory at the Nürburgring in 2009 will not be forgotten. For those who followed him from the beginning, nor will his fairytale fifth place on debut at Melbourne in 2002 for the perennial backmarker Minardi outfit.
His dual victories at Monaco and Silverstone place him in rare company. Indeed, it was fitting that his final triumph came at his adopted home in 2012.
Notwithstanding the abnormal doses of bad luck Webber suffered — his scrambled gearbox courtesy of an underground tram power surge at Singapore in 2008 is something that could only have been inflicted on him – he had every right at various junctures throughout his career to throw in the towel or for his mental capacity to be shot. Yet he vacates the sport with his reputation intact.
Formula One will suffer profoundly for his departure, the magnitude of which will only become apparent next season, in a way that you don’t see when every driver hangs up their helmet.
His absence will be felt in the vein of Schumacher, Häkkinen, Mansell, Prost and to a degree, Senna. For as a racer’s racer in the traditional sense, Webber thrived on the purity of flat out competition, with little time for the advents of DRS, KERS and tyre maintenance which rule today’s racing.
Webber’s career tally stands at 215 Grands Prix for nine victories, 13 pole positions and 42 podiums, helping his Red Bull team to four consecutive constructors’ titles. He could have done far worse.
Thanks for the memories Mark. And to the future, we’ll be cheering you on in the World Endurance Championship.
Who knows, perhaps your finest hour is still unwritten?
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