Webber happy to be F1 dark horse

Mark Webber is unfazed about being overlooked as a genuine Formula One world
championship contender this season.

The Australian, who will begin his campaign in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix
this weekend, is happy taking a back seat to his younger Red Bull teammate Sebastian
Vettel.
While the RB6 car has been among the quickest in pre-season testing, it is Vettel,
not Webber, who is spotlighted as the potential champion.
"I don't get wound up about it," Webber told ESPN F1. "Let's see if I can do as last
year and have people saying 'Bloody hell, he's in the hunt'.
"I accept that I might be a bit of a dark horse, but that is a good position for me
to be in.
"It's normal people will go for Jenson (Button), Lewis (Hamilton), Michael
(Schumacher), Sebastian, who is young, (Felipe) Massa, who has fought for the
championship, and (Fernando) Alonso, who has two titles."
However Webber warned he would be a stronger contender this year after starting last
season with a patched up leg following a cycling accident the previous off-season.
"The big difference for me this year is physically and mentally," he said. "I don't
have the worry of waking up wondering if the leg has improved.
"It's hard to say if it affected my performance...maybe mentally I was a bit drained
because I did have an off-season with operations and recuperation."
Webber, who was fourth in last year's championship, has finally had the main metal
rod removed from the leg he broke badly.
The 33-year-old said while he might not be regarded as one of the favourites, the
new generation of young drivers are making their mark quicker because Formula 1 is
easier now.
"The cars are easier to drive," Webber told autosport.com. "You don't look at these
guys and think 'they are real men'. They are talented, no question, but there is
less in common.
"There is power steering now; a lot of things that make the cars easier to drive.
That's why these youngsters can get away with it.
"I came through the categories with gear sticks and what have you. And that was
beneficial for me. But there is no point whingeing about it. They come along and do
a good job for the most part. Some don't."
He has also questioned whether seven-times champion Schumacher will be competitive
on his return in a Mercedes this year.
"I think it will be a bloody hard season for him," Webber told the London Daily
Telegraph. "I think he'll go all right but I have never, ever seen a phenomenal
comeback.
"When has the second career ever been better than the first?"



Delete & Prev | Delete & Next