From motorcycles to cars, Mark Webber has fought all the way to reach Formula 1.
Mark Webber is one of the fiercest competitors in Formula 1. 2008 marks the Australian’s seventh season in Grand Prix racing. His progression to the top has not always run smoothly but he is now an established part of the Formula 1 paddock.
Born Mark Alan Webber in New South Wales on August 27th, 1976, he was raised in a motoring family. His father was a motorcycle dealer and it was on two wheels that Mark started his career. At the age of 14 he switched to karts and within two years was state champion. For 1994 a Formula Ford 1600 was acquired which Mark took to 14th overall in the championship. The following season saw a marked improvement as he finished fourth overall, scoring a win in the Australian Grand Prix support race on the way.
It was while in Formula Ford that he met series co-ordinator Ann Neal, who became his manager and girlfriend. Together they travelled to the UK in a bid to further Mark’s career. A test for Van Diemen earned him a drive at the prestigious Formula Ford Festival, where he finished an excellent third. It was enough to earn him a full time drive for the 1996 British Formula Ford Championship. Webber demonstrated his talent by finishing second overall and winning the Festival.
1997 was more of a struggle as Mark stepped up to the British Formula 3 Championship with Alan Docking Racing. During the season it seemed as though he would have to withdraw due to lack of finance but salvation arrived in the form of Australian rugby legend David Campese, who bankrolled the rest of the year. On his first visit to Zandvoort he finished a fine third in the Marlboro Masters. His debut at the daunting Macau street circuit yielded a fourth place finish.
During the 1997 season Webber had come to the attention of Mercedes and for 1998 he was announced as a works driver in their sports car team. Paired with veteran Bernd Schneider the two only narrowly missed out on the title despite winning half of the season’s races. Retained by Mercedes for 1999, Webber’s sports car career was curtailed after Le Mans. During practice his car flipped twice on the Mulsanne straight. During the race a similar accident to his team-mate Peter Dumbreck caused the team to withdraw the cars from the race and the rest of the season.
During 1999 Webber had his first Formula 1 test, for the Arrows team. His performance was enough to be handed a testing contract for 2000. Meanwhile he teamed up with fellow Australian Paul Stoddart who ran a Formula 3000 team. Contractual problems meant that Webber never did get to test the Arrows that year but he was given a test by Benetton. Again, it was enough to be given a testing contract for the following year.
Webber’s 2000 Formula 3000 season was a successful one as he ended up third overall with one victory. For 2001 he switched to the Super Nova Racing team, in a season funded by Benetton’s Flavio Briatore. In return Briatore had taken on the role as Webber’s manager. In the title race he finished second to Justin Wilson.
His Formula 1 race debut finally arrived in 2002, and it was a memorable one. Driving for the little Minardi team, which had been taken over by Paul Stoddart, Webber finished fourth in his home Grand Prix, the season opener in Melbourne. It was the high point in an otherwise disappointing season with the uncompetitive car.
For 2003 Webber was signed by Jaguar to spearhead their Formula 1 effort. He spent two seasons at the team but the cars were a huge disappointment. 2005 brought an improvement when he went to Williams, the highlight being a third place finish at Monaco. Webber stayed with the team for 2006 but never achieved another podium.
2007 saw Webber become a Red Bull driver, alongside David Coulthard, and the season gave the Australian another third place finish. For 2008 he is again driving for Red Bull.
Mark Webber’s Formula 1 career has been plagued by bad luck and terrible reliability. Although the record books show that he has only two podiums during his time in Formula 1 so far there is little doubt that he is one of the fastest drivers on the grid.
