Webber: Vettel will beat Schumacher “without any problem”
Interviewed by the Daily Mail, Mark Webber reflected on his collaboration with Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull: while he believes his teammate's attitude wasn't good, he doesn't hide his admiration for the German champion and his driving skills.
Red Bull driver since 2007, Mark Webber is two races away from retirement in Formula 1. He will join Porsche in 2014 in the World Endurance Championship. The Australian, during an interview with the Daily Mail, reflected on his career, particularly focusing on a significant part of it alongside Sebastian Vettel.
The two men did not experience, as often happens within the best teams, an idyllic relationship, with the breaking point for many being the collision during the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix while they were fighting for the lead. The latest episode in the Red Bull saga was the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix, when Sebastian Vettel, having been ordered to maintain his second position, chose to disregard this instruction to snatch victory right under Mark Webber’s nose.
Some believe that this attitude is the reason behind the numerous boos and jeers aimed at the four-time world champion since mid-season, every time he steps onto the podium. A theory that Mr. Webber agrees with: “I don’t think it happens because Seb wins all the time. Usain Bolt isn’t booed and he wins every race, or almost. It’s interesting to see how the general public takes a stance on these things.”
The one who has nine victories to his credit in the premier discipline believes that, more than Vettel’s gesture, it was his communication that influenced public opinion: « I think that after the race, his initial reaction was correct. I think he was broken by what he had done, as he said in Malaysia. But his reaction two weeks later in China, when he said he wasn’t sorry at all, was probably not the best way to encourage people on what to think of him. » Webber still believes there are certain limits in expressing discontent: « I don’t think it was right for people to boo during the national anthems. »
Aussie Grit added: « You must be able to look at yourself in the mirror. Obviously, you have to be ruthless at times. I know you can’t be a little teddy bear and race, but I’m happy with the way I’ve conducted my career. »
The coldness towards the man Vettel is clearly displayed, but the admiration for the driver Vettel is very real: « Seb is phenomenal. I think he will beat Michael Schumacher’s seven championships, without a problem. » Mark Webber also points out that the car isn’t everything: « Seb has won many races when the car was good, but he has also won many when the car wasn’t good. Seb is like Alain Prost, but with the added qualification. Impressive. Moreover, he rarely makes mistakes. It’s not just the car. »
It was fascinating for me to be in the ring with him. Looking back, you realize that you learned a lot about yourself through that. It was a prosperous part of Formula 1. Obviously, I would have loved to be seven years apart from Seb, instead of the eleven years that separate us. It would have probably and properly exploded.
