Difference between revisions of "Mark Webber"

Revision as of 15:54, 4 January 2019

Mark Alan Webber (born 27th August, 1976 in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian former Formula One driver.

Formula One

2001-2002: Jaguar

Webber's first foray into Formula One would come courtesy of the Jaguar team, where he'd spend the 2001 season as test driver. With the departure of Eddie Irvine at the end of 2001, Webber was promoted to the second seat for 2002 alongside Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa.

Webber would take an early point in the San Marino Grand Prix, but he would fail to score at any other stage in 2002.

2003-2004: Renault

Renault came calling for the young Australian in 2003, with Webber joining up with friend and former F3000 sparring partner Fernando Alonso in the French team.

The youthful lineup thrived for Renault, with Webber taking several points in the early stages of the season - his best being a fourth in Great Britain following a maiden pole. However, Webber and Renault took a major step forward two races later at the German Grand Prix. Webber would lead Alonso home from pole position and take a 1-2 for Renault at Hockenheim, a result that went against the form books for the year.

Webber was retained alongside Alonso for a second year in 2004. Webber scored a second place finish in the Monaco Grand Prix but was soon ruled out for three races due to injuries suffered at the United States Grand Prix. Webber was replaced by Canadian driver Jacques Villeneuve in this time but did manage to return for the final race.

2005-2009: Toyota

Japanese manufacturer Toyota upped their investment in 2005, opting to sign Webber on an initial two year deal to lead their team alongside former World Champion Ralf Schumacher. Webber was a consistent points scorer in 2005 and took two second places on his way to eighth in the championship.

Webber was less frequently in the points in 2006- with a third place in the Hungarian Grand Prix his best result.

2007 saw Webber completely outclass his teammate when he outscored Schumacher with 35 points to Schumacher's 8 - which was seen as a disappointment considering Scumacher was the third-highest paid driver on the grid, taking home around $20 million. Webber finished in eighth place.

Webber was joined by André Lotterer in 2008 - although he would miss the first three races of the season due to a mountain bike accident in the off-season. Kazuki Nakajima held his seat until the Japanese Grand Prix - where Webber took the lead drive once more. Webber scored his first race win for Toyota a few races later in the United States and finished the season in seventh place.

Webber entered the final year of his Toyota contract in 2009, with rumours swirling that Toyota would be leaving at the end of the season due to the global financial crisis.