Mark Webber, retiring from formula one at the end of the season, has admitted he will not miss his teammate Sebastian Vettel.
The Australian appeared on the BBC’s highly popular British motoring programme Top Gear this week, where he admitted the sport is now “very different” to when he debuted over 200 grands prix ago.
Asked about the era of heavily-degrading Pirelli tyres, Webber told presenter Jeremy Clarkson: “But that’s the way it is. “We’ve got to learn and get on with it, but you’ve got to be able to push. In formula one it’s about us boys being absolutely on the limit all the time. Or it should be.” Webber, who turns 37 later this month, also admitted he will not miss reigning triple consecutive world champion German Vettel, his teammate at Red Bull. “Um — am I going to miss Seb?” he pondered. “Probably not a huge amount, no. “I think in a competitive environment, there’s always going to be a bit of needle; there’s a lot of history between us as well.”
That ‘history’ came to a head in Malaysia this year, when Vettel disobeyed a team order and passed Webber for victory. Asked by Clarkson if he felt like punching Vettel afterwards, Webber said: “My dad always says you shouldn’t hit boys, mate.” Revenge on the track is sweeter: Webber did a lap in Top Gear’s famous ‘reasonably priced’ Suzuki Liana, and pipped Vettel’s best time.
Info: GMM, Image: Red Bull Content Pool
