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?
Daniel Bradley
Roar Rookie
I think as we look back, I wonder what would've hapened to Webber if he competed in Formula 1 before driving for Mercedes at Le Mans. If he had the talent back then, could he have achieved a drive with McLaren or Williams and would he have won several championships as a result?
Bayden Westerweller
Roar Guru
Yes, it's unfortunate that this attitude and some of his best drives, particularly when it didn't result in victory, have been overshadowed by Vettel's dominance. It's the downside of having a team-mate who wins everything before them, the forgotten hard work which was arguably just as impressive.
Daniel Bradley
Roar Rookie
I think what made Webber a great driver in Formula 1 was that he was able to signify the "never give up" attitude which made him a popular driver. The races that I list are some examples of what I'm trying to say: 2002 Australian Grand Prix - finished 5th in a car that wasn't really capable of scoring in the points even though it was a result of that infamous crash where Ralf Schumacher went airborne due to hitting Barrichello. 2005 Monaco Grand Prix - finished 3rd on the podium in a Williams whilst battling with his team mate Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso with their tyres literally having almost no grooves left on them even though in 2005 they were not allowed to change tyres during the race. 2009 German Grand Prix - won the race despite receiving a drive-through-penalty due to almost causing a collision with Barrichello at the start of the race 2010 British Grand Prix - won the race after having his front wing for Silverstone given to Vettel before qualifying even though Vettel broke his own front wing during practice 3. This was also the first race after he was involved in a nasty collision with Kovalainen in which Webber's car backflipped at the European Grand Prix in Valencia.
Bayden Westerweller
Roar Guru
That's exactly my thought, he's one of those rare individuals who didn't achieve the ultimate success, but his mere presence is priceless, and I believe when his absence takes effect throughout next season and beyond, he will be missed.
nachos supreme
Guest
Tin foil hat time. Did the team screw with his launch systems?Not like it couldn't be done from the pit. Not sure why they'd do it, but given how fastidious and determined he was, I just can't imagine how a guy like that wouldn't address his rubbish starts.
nachos supreme
Guest
Berger is an interesting one, I always felt Berger underachieved. Same could probably be said for Aleisi too.
nachos supreme
Guest
I agree, he's the Aussie David Coulthard.
j
Guest
He may not be world champion, but he will be missed like one. I can't remember an f1 driver's retirement bringing out such an outpouring of emotion around the world.
Bayden Westerweller
Roar Guru
I agree with you Dan, his record is undoubtedly comparable to Barrichello and Coulthard, perhaps even slightly ahead, but from a value perspective, I believe he will be missed as much as the greats I mentioned, F1 sorely needs characters of Webber's ilk.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Good On you Basten Like DanMan, I would not rate Webber as one of the truly elite, his buddy Sebastien Is! He is oh so close though, the man you was faster then most of the field, a race winner, pole sitter and champion if the planets alighned. Gerhard Berger, David Coulthard, Jenson Button, Keke Rosberg, Damon Hill, No shame in that company
Avatar
Roar Guru
He may have never won that elusive World Drivers Championship title but there is no doubt that he is a legend of this sport.
DanMan
Guest
I have followed Webber since day one and he's had a great career but I really don't think you can place him in the same sentence as Senna, Shumacher, Prost etc. He was an honest toiler who happened to find himself in the best team for the past 4 - 5 years and therefore had every opportunity to do well. Taking emotion out of it he has been outperformed by Vettel by a fair margin (through no fault of his own, clearly as you state Vettel is something special). His legacy could have been so much better if he could fix a couple of his glaringly obvious weaknesses, ie his frequent poor starts, but overall I believe he has done enough to be catergorised in perhaps a slightly lower tier of F1 drivers, more of the Rubens Barichello mould than Shumacher for example. But yes, we as Australians should be proud of his vast achievements, and support Riccardo in a similar or greater fashion whether he achieves lower or higher results than Webber.
Dan Ced
Guest
Great article. I will miss his presence in F1 but will continue to follow his career in WEC, also the easy option is to follow RIC in F1 now since he has taken Mark's vacant seat and is also Australian. I still rate Webber higher than Vettel, some bias of course. I think he's the better racer, and proved with a couple of late season poles that if not for some inconsistency can still put the fight to Vettel.
RedAnt
Guest
Nice one!
David
Guest
what a champion