Alan Jones could see Mark Webber at Ferrari in 2013
At the center of rumors sending him to Maranello in 2013 to replace Felipe Massa, Mark Webber continues to stir the F1 grapevine. Alan Jones does not hide that after having added Monaco to his record for the second time in his career, only the name of Scuderia Ferrari is now missing from the Australian's resume.
In Monaco, besides the glitz and glamour, rumors have been stirring the paddock. Foremost among these are persistent ones suggesting Mark Webber might join Ferrari in 2013, as his current contract with the Red Bull team is set to expire at the end of the season and neither party appears, for now, eager to extend it. A one-year contract is being considered, allowing the Australian to end his career on a high note alongside his friend Fernando Alonso in the most prestigious team in Formula 1, an idea that doesn’t displease Alan Jones: “Mark has already achieved one of the two things most Formula One drivers would like to achieve, and that’s winning in Monaco. The other thing is driving for Ferrari,” the former Williams driver stated on the podcast *Keeping Track*, aired on the official Australian Grand Prix website. “I’m sure he will think about it. If he goes to Ferrari, it could be a breath of fresh air: it’s very prestigious and something that looks really good on your resume. He gets along very well with Alonso, so maybe it could be a good way for him to leave.”
While Christian Horner, director of the Red Bull team, wonders with Autosport, “Why would he want to leave?”, believing that the Australian is quite comfortable with the team, the 1980 world champion sees a reason, by the name of Sebastian Vettel: “Personally, I think Mark is in a good team, but if he extends with Red Bull next year, he will still have Vettel as a teammate, which is quite a difficult task.”
Moreover, the Monegasque rumors were already anticipating the post-Mark Webber era at Ferrari, announcing the arrival of the reigning double world champion, who had signed an option for 2014, to replace the Australian. The German, who has never hidden his desire to wear the Rossa colors one day, however, formally denied the rumors in the magazine *Auto Motor und Sport*: « Probably someone had columns to fill in their newspapers. I haven’t signed anything. »
One thing remains certain: Felipe Massa’s clear resurgence in form at Monaco is far from having silenced the rumors.
