Mark Webber: Understanding for Sebastian Vettel / Formula 1
Mark Webber says of Sebastian Vettel's announced Formula One departure: "He won't regret the move"
Mark Webber can understand why his former team-mate Sebastian Vettel is retiring from Formula One after the current season. He is sure: "It was the right time for him, the timing was right."
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were teammates at Red Bull Racing for five years (2009 to 2013), during which the German became world champion four times and the Australian third three times. So they know each other very well. That's why the retirement of his 35-year-old former colleague announced the previous week was no sensation for Webber.
"I was not at all surprised by Sebastian's decision, even though he announced it in the middle of the season. It was obvious. It was the right time for him, the timing was right. He will not regret the move," the 45-year-old explained.
As to whether it was a mistake for Vettel to switch to Aston Martin instead of retiring as a Ferrari driver, the World Endurance Champion with Porsche (2015) says: "Maybe. I'm not a gambler, I can't say. When he signed with Aston Martin, I don't think he was ready to quit. After all, he was only 32 at the time."
Still, Webber doubts that Vettel will break with motorsport altogether: "I wouldn't be surprised if he started something else in motorsport." And with a smirk, "Formula E would be perfect for him! No, kidding."
Webber adds, "Sebastian will spend a lot of time with the family as advertised, that's very understandable. He'll see what it's like not to be trapped in the treadmill anymore and to be able to do something else. He'll have time to think. And he's an incredibly successful guy, very wealthy, he has a choice and all the options."
On the current Formula 1 - where he is Oscar Piastri's manager amid the turmoil surrounding his compatriot - Webber says: "Ferrari is incredibly fast, the performance potential is beyond doubt, is enormous. But the implementation and the stableness are very frustrating. With the new regulations, the cars have to be tuned even more sensitively to the track characteristics, which doesn't make things easy. When you lose points and top places because of stability problems, as a driver you want to make up the lost points, and that usually drives you into your own mistakes. If you've now lost 50 points because of technology, then you're under a lot of pressure as a driver."
Webber is not involved in Porsche's new endurance project. Will he test the new LMDh prototype? "Hmmm. I was very happy to be able to drive the 919." Is there any intention of being involved in the Red Bull Porsche project for 2026? "No, no, way too far away." No exclusive announcement now? "No, certainly not," he says with a laugh.
