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Mark Webber |
Alan Jones was the last Australian to win the Formula One World Championship when he triumphed in 1980, but Red Bull driver Mark Webber looks set to be crowned the 2010 world champion and end Australia’s 30-year drought. After 16 rounds, the 34-year-old leads the championship on 220 points, 14 points ahead of Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso and teammate Sebastian Vettel, with races in Korea, Brazil and Abu Dhabi remaining. He has qualified for pole position five times (in Spain, Malaysia, Monaco, Turkey and Belgium) and has won four races (Spain, Monaco, Britain and Hungary). He finished second in Malaysia, Belgium and Japan and third in Turkey and Singapore, making it an outstanding nine podium finishes in 16 races. After years of mediocrity, Webber has now well and truly silenced his long-time critics. And it’s been a remarkable turnaround. In 2006 - during his time with Formula One team Williams - Webber revealed he lost motivation and almost quit racing. He quit Williams and rediscovered his fire behind the wheel with new team Red Bull in 2007. But 2007 and 2008 were again mediocre years, as he finished 12th and 11th respectively. In the off-season before the 2009 Championship, Webber came dangerously close to spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair when he crashed while on a charity mountain bike ride through Tasmania, breaking his leg and injuring his shoulder and being air-lifted to hospital. Many doubted his ability to make a successful return after traumatic injuries, but he returned stronger and better than ever, finishing fourth in the 2009 Championship while driving with steel rods in his leg. Webber’s days of being the Formula One whipping boy are gone, and a fairytale story beckons for him in 2010. Julian Trantino |
