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Porsche Motorsport
At the end of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship season Mark Webber will quit his professional racing career to become
"Mark Webber stands for everything what
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1, is sorry to see the driver retire from the cockpit. "Already in the important period of building up the programme, Mark has strengthened us with all his experience and he seamlessly integrated himself into the team. Behind the wheel he is a fair fighter, never shy of even the toughest wheel-to-wheel battle. At the same time, he thinks strategically and is team orientated. This mixture makes him invaluable as an endurance racer. Winning the 2015 drivers’ world championship together with Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley almost seemed to be a logical consequence. Also thanks to his performance, we hope to win the world championship titles for manufacturers and drivers again in 2016."
Currently the
"I have arrived where I belong", says Mark Webber. "
Mark Webber has no need to quit his professional racing career. His lap times still top the time-sheets, he remains fit, his experience is priceless and his relationship with his teammates has bonded into lasting friendships. Webber always knew what he wanted after his successful Formula One career. "It was a big change from Formula One to LMP1 and an entirely new experience. But it came at the right time for me. I found I liked sharing a car and the chemistry between Timo, Brendon and me is special and something I’ll always remember. It will be strange getting into the race car for the very last time in Bahrain but for now I will thoroughly enjoy every moment of the remaining races."
Aussie Grit: the Mark Webber story
Since 1991 everything in Mark Webber’s life has been dedicated to racing. Karting, Formula Ford, Formula 3, Formula 3000, 215 Formula One Grands Prix including nine victories and 42 podiums in what is the pinnacle of motor racing. In 2013 he found his home at
Webber is a straightforward man and he’s honest with himself. In his book Aussie Grit: My Formula One Journey, published in 2015, he gives a deeper insight into his career. He left his home in Queanbeyan in New South Wales, Australia, at the age of 19 with a clear goal – to further his career as a racing driver in England. He was one of many, and one of those without a sponsor, but he had natural talent. He won the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, contested Formula 3 and Formula 3000. He was invited to join the sports car programme at Mercedes. The 24-hour Le Mans race was set to be the highlight of the 1999 season. The car and the team were considered favourites. But the car’s aerodynamics were on a knife-edge. Webber’s car launched into a backflip in the qualifying session and again in the warm-up. He survived two dramatic crashes unharmed, but his career seemed to have run out of steam. The page turned, however, with a successful Formula One test drive for the Benetton team, which secured him a test and reserve driver position in 2001.
Webber's Formula One debut was memorable: he finished fifth in 2002 at his home Grand Prix in Melbourne – with an inferior Minardi. In 2005 he scored his first podium with the former BMW WilliamsF1 team. He celebrated his first F1 win at the 2009 German Grand Prix with Red Bull Racing in his 131st Grand Prix. In 2010 and 2012 he won the Monaco Grand Prix.
After 15 years, it was an older and more mature Webber who returned to La Sarthe in 2014. His incident-packed experience from 1999 seemed far away, but the much wanted victory has continued to evade him: In 2014, as he was driving in second place with only two hours to go when a bang from the powertrain shattered the dream. In 2015, the 919 that he again shared with Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley was running in the lead during the first third of the race, only to have a time penalty to relegate them down the field. The trio launched a charge through the field to claim second place. In 2016 it was a damaged water pump that prevented him and his teammates from winning Le Mans. The biggest triumph was achieved at a nerve-wracking finale in November 2015 in Bahrain: both throttle barrel levers were broken and had to be locked at full throttle. The 919 was only able to finish the race thanks to outstanding engineering performance in the background and a driver sensitivity that looked superhuman. The title was at stake. "To have scored my first World Championship title with Timo and Brendon with
His affinity to
Vita
Date of Birth: 27th August 1976
Place of Birth: Queanbeyan (AUS)
Nationality: Australian
Residence: Buckinghamshire (GB)
Height/weight: 1.83 m/76 kg
Marital status: married to Ann
Hobbies: Sports, mountain biking, flying helicopters
Website: www.markwebber.com
Twitter: @AussieGrit
Career
2016
2015
2014
2013 3rd Formula One World Championship (Infiniti Red Bull Racing)
2012 6th Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing), 1st Monaco, Silverstone
2011 3rd Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing)
, 1st São Paulo
2010 3rd Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing)
, 1st Barcelona, Monaco, Silverstone, Budapest
2009 4th Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing)
, 1st Nürburgring, São Paulo
2008 11th Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing)
2007 12th Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing)
2006 14th Formula One World Championship (WilliamsF1 Team)
2005 10th Formula One World Championship (BMW WilliamsF1 Team)
2004 13th Formula One World Championship (Jaguar Racing)
2003 10th Formula One World Championship (Jaguar Racing)
2002 16th Formula One World Championship (KL Minardi Asiatech)
2001 2nd Formula 3000 Championship (3 wins), Formula One test driver (Benetton Renault)
2000 3rd Formula 3000 Championship (EFR/Arrows, 1 win),
Formula One test driver (Arrows)
1999 FIA GT Championship
(AMG Mercedes, opt out after the Le Mans 24 Hours)
1998 2nd FIA GT Championship (AMG Mercedes, 5 wins)
1997 4th British Formula 3 Championship (1 win)
1996 2nd British Formula Ford Championship (4 wins)
, Winner Formula Ford Festival Brands Hatch
1995 4th Australian Formula Ford Championship, 3rd Formula Ford Festival Brands Hatch
1994 Debut Australian Formula Ford Championship
1991-1993 Karting
All reports on the previous season can be found in our archive.