Former Formula 1 driver Mark Webber celebrated his 39th Birthday this week.
Known as an outspoken, straightforward character when in the spotlight off the track and a fighter on the track the Aussie became (and still is) a popular figure around the paddock and amongst fans.
Webber, who quit F1 at the end of 2013, is now plying his trade in the World Endurance Championship with Porsche but is not seeking a return to the sport that he scored nine race victories in and once came close to conquering.
As part of his birthday celebrations, Read Motorsport looks back at the top five occasions the Aussie Grit memorably stood on the top step of the podium.
2009 German Grand Prix – Nurburgring
Appropriately we start off with Webber’s first win after a seven-year wait featuring near-misses and settling for several podium finishes as career bests.
Nurburgring wasn’t a track that was particularly kind to Webber apart from a sole podium finish in 2007 but with the Red Bull RB5 being a race-winning machinery in 2009 it was the year to set the record straight and Webber did so by claiming his first pole position that race weekend.
Before he converted the pole into a win he had to contend with earning a drive-through penalty for colliding with Rubens Barrichello whilst making slight contact with Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren at the race start. The raw speed of Red Bull and Webber that weekend was evident once more in a race allowing him to recover the loss in seemingly a race that would epitomise most of his racing career and Webber was rightfully jubilant and emotional on the team radio after he lead a Red Bull 1-2 finish, the one of only two Red Bull 1-2s he would lead mind you.
2010 Monaco Grand Prix – Monte-Carlo
The other 1-2 he led for the Milton Keynes outfit was at Monaco – both a track and a race that rewards the bravest, most audacious but most precise racing drivers and is one that Webber, like many before and after him will, would’ve loved to put on his CV of race wins.
Like his first win, the three-time Grand Prix winner at the time started from pole position, one which he fought closely hard against the likes of surprise candidate Robert Kubica in his Renault and team-mate Sebastian Vettel, and controlled the race superbly and flawlessly from the race start this time. Leading every single lap despite multiple safety car periods and taking the championship lead, it was only Vettel setting the fastest lap of the race towards its end that prevented Webber from completely dominating the race weekend from earning his first Grand Chelem of his racing career.
He was not done with the Streets of Monte-Carlo, another victory in a similar fashion beckoned for him before he closed the curtain on his F1 tenure.
2010 British Grand Prix – Silverstone
Webber adopted the British Grand Prix as a second home race for him as he grew and nurtured himself as both a human being and a racing driver in the UK as well as the notion of Silverstone being one of the fastest, most satisfying race track to drive.
Keeping that in mind, one can say that winning twice at Silverstone can be seen as a good consolation for Webber given that he failed to achieve a podium finish back in Melbourne not to mention the similar kind of success.
There was obviously a lot of heart and justice felt when he took the chequered flag on Sunday as he bounced back from the infamous tangle with Vettel in Turkey, his terrifying airborne crash in Valencia and being beaten to pole by Vettel after controversially having the new front wing Red Bull brought to the race taken from him and given to the German to use. Webber’s displeasure about the latter was clear for the rest of the weekend but on race day he kept his composure and turned the tables on Vettel by jumping him at the start and storming to a third race win of the season to breathe new life into his title challenge whilst Vettel crossed the line a lowly 7th after having his chances of a win ruined by a first-lap puncture.
Before jumping in elation on the podium Webber implied the sense of favouritism the cynics smelled at Red Bull by going on the team radio after the race saying: “Not bad for a No.2 driver, cheers.”
The Aussie could indeed manage a smile.
2012 Monaco Grand Prix – Monte-Carlo
Only two race wins greeted the Australian between that 2010 race at Silverstone as he title challenge faltered that year and struggled in 2011 with the blown exhaust technology lead by his Red Bull team ironically.
Although the temporary outlaw of them and Red Bull subsequently fighting to recover its downforce losses early in 2012 helped Webber in igniting a second championship challenge.
As referred to earlier Webber’s second Monaco win is a bit a throwback to his first as he lead from lights to flag in the cool, controlled and perfectly judged manner that was identical to the first time. Also surviving a chaotic race start, a rain scare and late pressure from a fellow Monaco specialist in Nico Rosberg in second as the pack behind Webber bunched up for the incoming rain shower that never materialised.
Webber became the sixth race winner in as many races in a season that was famous for its unpredictability and dramatic racing, many referred to the feat as a lottery and the Aussie won it on that occasion to close the gap to championship leader Fernando Alonso by three points, he would come face to face with Alonso for the race win at Silverstone a few races later.
2012 British Grand Prix – Silverstone
We started this piece with his first win, now it’s fitting we conclude it with his last triumph on the top step.
Battling the elements thrown at him by the adverse weather in qualifying, Webber slotted his Red Bull on the front row marginally missing out on his second pole around the Silverstone circuit to Alonso.
Alonso pulled away at the beginning of the race on the harder rubber but Webber was wise to that and knew he held the strategic cards to his chest should Alonso struggle on his soft tyres during his final stint. The latter did indeed come to fruition as the Spaniard failed to extract the most out of the soft rubber and Webber, on the hard tyre for his last stint, became the predator when Alonso started to battle with tyre wear and dutifully took over the race lead three laps from the end and clinched his second win at Silverstone and second and last of the 2012 season.
Webber then signed a one-year contract extension with his two-time championship winning Red Bull team but little did we know that it would disappointingly yield no following victories.
