Mark Webber Retires Oct 2016

275 GTB-4 · 14 Oct 2016, 04:56 (Ref:3679911)

So long Mark...good effort!

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/mo...436495181d1122

Christopher · 14 Oct 2016, 10:21 (Ref:3679949)

Yes well done Mr Webber on a wonderful career!, hope he appears at least once at Bathurst in the near future.

BSchneiderFan · 14 Oct 2016, 14:06 (Ref:3679993)

I was a bit surprised - seem to recall Kristensen and McNish going well into their forties and being competitive. But he's earned retirement. Shame he hasn't won the big one, but then he's never been in love with Le Mans (and who can blame him?).

Victor_RO · 14 Oct 2016, 14:23 (Ref:3680000)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

I was a bit surprised - seem to recall Kristensen and McNish going well into their forties and being competitive. But he's earned retirement. Shame he hasn't won the big one, but then he's never been in love with Le Mans (and who can blame him?).

You mention Kristensen and McNish - Webber's retirement announcement seems to me to be in the exact same manner as those two. Guys that are well respected inside their own teams deciding to quit on their own terms and staying with the manufacturer even after motorsport retirement.

BSchneiderFan · 14 Oct 2016, 15:12 (Ref:3680011)

But a few years earlier than both of them.

S griffin · 14 Oct 2016, 15:49 (Ref:3680023)

This caught me by surprise too, he seemed to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and team effort of WEC and looked like he was gonna carry on for a while. At least he's going out on a high and with a world title to his name

J Jay · 14 Oct 2016, 17:00 (Ref:3680039)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

I was a bit surprised - seem to recall Kristensen and McNish going well into their forties and being competitive. But he's earned retirement. Shame he hasn't won the big one, but then he's never been in love with Le Mans (and who can blame him?).

With the influx of young single-seater drivers making the switch to sportscars, the bar may have been raised just enough to make it difficult for older drivers to be assured of a factory LMP1 seat into their forties.

Thanks for the drives Mark. His stint in Bahrain with the ailing #17 last year was almost a microcosm of his racing career - but thankfully, it had a happy ending. Hopefully there's at least one more victory left in his time at Porsche.

275 GTB-4 · 15 Oct 2016, 03:57 (Ref:3680146)

The 40-year-old Webber will become a Porsche 'special representative' at global events and work as a consultant on motor sport programs...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-1...rement/7931990

Articus · 16 Oct 2016, 00:22 (Ref:3680347)

Quote:

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

The 40-year-old Webber will become a Porsche 'special representative' at global events and work as a consultant on motor sport programs...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-1...rement/7931990

a.k.a Porsche want to make sure Webber and his image can't work for anyone else

**GTRMagic** · 16 Oct 2016, 08:26 (Ref:3680638)

Perhaps the best 'Potsie' moment EVER!!

Image courtesy of andyblackmoredesign.com

275 GTB-4 · 16 Oct 2016, 22:14 (Ref:3680769)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Perhaps the best 'Potsie' moment EVER!!

You can never find a "LIKE" button when you need one!

Asa · 19 Oct 2016, 02:05 (Ref:3681255)

Will Jenson Button replace him at Porsche?

Victor_RO · 19 Oct 2016, 05:52 (Ref:3681290)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asa

Will Jenson Button replace him at Porsche?

No. Button is under contract to McLaren and Honda next year (despite the retirement/sabbatical announcement), if he's racing something next year it'll be GT500 in Japan more likely. 99% likely it'll be either Nick Tandy or Earl Bamber in that seat tbh.

BSchneiderFan · 19 Oct 2016, 14:15 (Ref:3681380)

Porsche have more or less said it will be Tandy or Bamber.

jimclark · 19 Oct 2016, 15:16 (Ref:3681397)

Nowhere have I seen a statement by Mark that this is permanent.

How many have "retired" to....ta-daaa...make a re-appearance. I won't even start to list them.

MGDavid · 19 Oct 2016, 20:19 (Ref:3681458)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christopher

Yes well done Mr Webber on a wonderful career!, hope he appears at least once at Bathurst in the near future.

Nope, highly unlikely.
In his retirement announcement (full text not the headlines) he said he has no interest in racing anything in lower formulae or levels. By the sound of it not even a 'Goodwood' type.
Disappointing, he came across as a career driver not a racer. It also sounded like he's lost his bottle now he's married, family etc.

Akrapovic · 20 Oct 2016, 09:32 (Ref:3681575)

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2016/1...e-fia-wec.html

The DSC interview is great, but Marks answers were very..depressing, tbh. Highly dismissive of the prospect of entering the Bathurst 1000, saying the cars would be a disappointment. The only thing he was positive over was single seaters and that he has no real interest beyond those. The fact he isn't even bothered that he never won Le Mans says a lot. No desire to run Bathurst, and questioning why he'd want to do Pikes Peak? I can't understand why someone wouldn't want to run these events - they are such massive parts of motorsport that I think we'd all love a chance to have a go.

Seems like his heart was always in F1, and nothing else. He didn't stick about in F1 because he recognised that his career path was going to end up being the Coulthard route of a slow move downwards, so he went elsewhere and wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it.

To be brutally honest, if he's not really THAT into it, then I'm glad he's decided to call it quits, rather than continue on to collect cash. That way someone who really does want to win Le Mans can get the seat.

D.R.T. · 20 Oct 2016, 21:52 (Ref:3681663)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

The DSC interview is great, but Marks answers were very..depressing, tbh. Highly dismissive of the prospect of entering the Bathurst 1000, saying the cars would be a disappointment.

Mark even since his FFord and FHolden days was always quite honest and straight forward in saying he had zero interest in touring cars - especially the current formula in Australia.

He enjoyed racing cutting edge technology and performance cars - respect to him.

The thing I didn't fully appreciate until reading the article is how much the Brazil crash did and still does rattle him

Akrapovic · 21 Oct 2016, 06:25 (Ref:3681722)

Well, the Brazil crash involved a lapped car, and he was rather dismissive of Am drivers too. Seemed to be a hint that he blames Brendons Silverstone incident on the Am car, which I don't agree with.

gert · 21 Oct 2016, 21:06 (Ref:3681815)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

Well, the Brazil crash involved a lapped car, and he was rather dismissive of Am drivers too. Seemed to be a hint that he blames Brendons Silverstone incident on the Am car, which I don't agree with.

For the Brazil crash, I never saw a video of the crash itself, only the aftermath, so that makes it difficult to judge.

As for the Silverstone incident, that's how I read it too: blame the Am. I don't agree either, that was Brendon's misjudgement. Nothing more, nothing less.
IIRC, the Am driver was punished, though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

To be brutally honest, if he's not really THAT into it, then I'm glad he's decided to call it quits, rather than continue on to collect cash. That way someone who really does want to win Le Mans can get the seat.

To be fair, I don't think he ever was doing WEC for the money.
I think he genuinely wanted to drive a Porsche LMP1 car, but Le Mans was just one of the races for him.

D.R.T. · 22 Oct 2016, 07:42 (Ref:3681863)

Next years regulations dont seem to excite Webber to much at all. Almost seems like the same reason he got out of Formula 1

one five five · 23 Oct 2016, 00:36 (Ref:3682022)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

Seems like his heart was always in F1, and nothing else. He didn't stick about in F1 because he recognised that his career path was going to end up being the Coulthard route of a slow move downwards, so he went elsewhere and wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it.

To be brutally honest, if he's not really THAT into it, then I'm glad he's decided to call it quits, rather than continue on to collect cash. That way someone who really does want to win Le Mans can get the seat.

Webber since the beginning of his career was very open that F1 was all that interested him, and has always stated since he left for Europe he had no interest in racing "taxi's" (his words a few times) at Bathurst

He was also pretty open that he went to WEC to wind down his career, rather than stopping cold turkey after 2013 in F1

Webber probably see's Le Mans as something that he would have liked to have won for Porsche, but he's had five (four i guess) cracks at it in top machinery and it hasn't worked out, abit like F1 he probably doesn't want to hang around just to say you've won it.

275 GTB-4 · 11 Mar 2020, 03:00 (Ref:3962938)

Mark drove the first lap of the upgraded track named in his honour...

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sto...akes-his-name/

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