Ex-F1 teammate pays respects
Webber lived through “tense” ice age with Vettel
08/07/2022, 16:01
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were once teammates in Formula 1 – and bitter rivals. The Australian is now commenting on the “tense time” with the German Bald PS pensioner, who has already stolen a win from him. But Webber also has many conciliatory words left.
After a lot of arguments during their time together in Formula 1 at Red Bull, Mark Webber expressed his respect for Sebastian Vettel. The 45-year-old Webber was quoted as saying on the Formula 1 website that the German had “an incredible career” and was “untouchable” during his years as a world champion. The Australian and Vettel, who is ten years younger, were teammates at Red Bull from 2009 to 2013. The man from Heppenheim completed 94 Grand Prix alongside Webber – more than with any other stable rival.
In 2010, Vettel and Webber had a serious crash in Turkey that poisoned the internal climate for a long time. Webber then felt internally disadvantaged and missed his best World Cup chance that year. Also unforgettable is Vettel’s win from Malaysia in 2013, when he disregarded team orders.
“All colleagues have respect”
“Everything is okay between us,” said Webber, who resigned at the end of 2013. “Of course it was pretty tense when you’re fighting for championships together at the top.” Vettel won the title four times in a row from 2010 to 2013. “He has had phenomenal success in a short space of time, which all of our colleagues have respect for,” said Webber, who works as a driver manager and advises Australian talent Oscar Piastri, among others.
Vettel is currently driving for Aston Martin and will be retiring as a Formula 1 driver at the end of the year. “He made the right decision. Of course it’s up to the person at this point, there’s no one else who can make that decision for you, but I don’t think it’s a surprise,” Webber said.
Vettel’s “whole point of view” has changed, “in terms of his motivation and his anticipation of the next phase of his life”. The Hessian is now publicly committed to climate protection and human rights.