Webber is satisfied with his start to the season

While the Red Bull team seems to have settled into the ranks, Mark Webber is pleased with his start to the season, despite finishing just off the podium twice, both on his home turf in Australia and in Malaysia. “I’m fourth in the championship, behind Fernando [Alonso], Lewis Hamilton, and Jenson [Button], so it’s a solid start to the season,” the Australian said in his column for the BBC. “The team was brilliant throughout the winter in helping me prepare […]. I have good feelings in the car, and we definitely made a step forward in performance in Malaysia. It’s good, but you’re never satisfied until you’re in front, so we have two weeks to try to ensure that’s where we’ll be in the next two races, in China and Bahrain.”

The Red Bull driver also reflected on a season start that, overall, hasn’t necessarily provided a clearer idea of the competitive standing: « The two races we’ve had so far haven’t really given us a clear picture of everyone’s form. Mercedes left empty-handed, despite showing strong performances, and Lotus also has a competitive car but hasn’t been able to deliver results matching their capabilities. This is the kind of thing that happens when everyone is a bit in the dark during the first races. »

Red Bull had its share of problems, notably in Malaysia where both Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel lost their radio communications: « The radio on both our cars did not work properly for the rest of the race, and we had to resort to old tricks, with the boards. […] The problem became evident as soon as the race resumed. Eventually, I ended up unplugging the radio cable from my helmet because it was starting to distract me too much. It’s quite an important decision, because you know that once you’ve done that, you’re never going to get the radio back. But I had to do it. It was crackling in my ears and changing depending on the corner I was in. You don’t need that when you’re navigating, on a wet track, challenging corners like those in Malaysia.