Webber: « Getting a spot on the grid is difficult »

Mark Webber claims that the midfield battle is much more intense today than it was a few years ago. Red Bull Racing slipped from fourth to seventh place in the constructor’s standings between the start and the end of the season.

The Australian finished six of the first eight races of the year in the top 7, but Red Bull was surpassed by Renault, Toyota, and Toro Rosso in the second half of the season.

Marc Webber reflects on the reasons for this failure: « It’s incredible to see how tight the midfield is in terms of performance. We were ahead for a few weeks, then other teams started to achieve big results with their two cars. »

Example: Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock (Toyota), and of course Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet (Renault) scored big points. David and I did not score enough points.

« Honda finished fourth in the constructors’ standings a few years ago and at the time had a pace one and a half seconds faster than the other teams. Currently, with the same pace, it is far behind. This shows the rigor of what Formula 1 has become, » he added.

Webber is eagerly awaiting rain in Interlagos this weekend to mix things up and increase the chances of scoring points for him and his team. To date, the Austrian team is five points behind Toro Rosso but must watch out for Williams in 8th position, who is only three points behind.

« We are seventh and it is crucial to stay ahead of Williams. If we could snatch the place currently held by Toro Rosso, that would be great even though the probability remains low. To be honest, I want it to rain in Sao Paulo. With this kind of conditions, we have an extra chance. »