Webber: F1 isn't above social responsibility

Despite the FIA reinstating the Bahrain GP, Mark Webber says he'll be "highly surprised" if the race actually goes ahead

On Friday, the FIA's World Motor Sport Council opted to put the Bahrain GP back on the calendar with the race now scheduled for October 30th.

But while the FIA were holding their meeting, a funeral was being held for a woman who was killed by tear gas in the island kingdom as protesters returned to the streets.

"My opinion is unchanged since I was first asked about this in late February. Even though a decision has been made, I'll be highly surprised if the Bahrain Grand Prix goes ahead this year," Webber told his website.

"In my personal opinion, the sport should have taken a much firmer stance earlier this year rather than constantly delaying its decision in hope of being able to re-schedule it in 2011.

"It would have sent a very clear message about F1's position on something as fundamental as human rights and how it deals with moral issues.

"It's obvious that the parties involved have struggled to reach a decision but sadly I feel that they still haven't made the right one.

"Like it or not, F1 and sport in general isn't above having a social responsibility and conscience. I hope F1 is able to return to Bahrain eventually but now isn't the right time.

"As a competitor I do not feel at all comfortable going there to compete in an event when, despite reassurances to the contrary, it seems inevitable that it will cause more tension for the people of that country. I don't understand why my sport wishes to place itself in a position to be a catalyst for that."

Source: Planet-F1

Monaco GP: Webber still eyeing victory

Mark Webber will once again start behind his team-mate Sebastian Vettel, the fifth time in six races

Mark Webber said he was still aiming for victory in the Monaco Grand Prix despite only qualifying on the second row.

Having taken a lights-to-flag victory around the streets last year, Webber knows the importance of qualifying on pole position at a track that is notoriously difficult to overtake at. Despite being outqualified by his team-mate Sebastian Vettel and McLaren's Jenson Button, Webber still said it was possible to win, especially with the 2011 regulations leading to more exciting races.

"The races are more mixed up this year compared to the last few years, and tomorrow is no exception," Webber said. "It's possible to win from P3 but, that said, qualifying is crucial here and pole is certainly a nice benefit to have. Seb did a great lap and deserved pole and JB [Button] did too."

Webber also said that Sergio Perez's crash had resulted in a "messy" qualifying session, but that the most important thing was that lessons were learned from the incident.

"It was a messy session for all of us - you never anticipate not getting a second go, but that's the way it fell today and bigger priorities took over when one of our colleagues, Sergio, had a crash.

"All our thoughts are with him; he's in great hands and he's talking and is conscious, which is good news; he'll bounce back I'm sure. We can learn from this in terms of safety here and it's probably an area that we need to look at improving for the future. Jenson was lucky and Karl Wendlinger back in the nineties - so there are a few places around here we need to keep an eye on."

Source: ESPNF1

Webber: 'A lot of question marks' ahead of Monaco

Red Bull Racing star Mark Webber suggests this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix could be even more of a lottery than usual - as Christian Horner warns McLaren-Mercedes has taken a big step forward

As he bids to make it back-to-back victories in the most glittering race on the annual F1 schedule, Red Bull Racing star Mark Webber contends that there are 'a lot of question marks' approaching this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

Webber celebrated the finest moment of his top flight career to-date around the narrow, tortuous streets of Monte Carlo last year, leading from lights-out to chequered flag in the glamorous Principality to seal a tremendously popular triumph and confirm his status as a genuine title contender.

Returning to the scene of his success twelve months on, the Australian is under pressure to deliver a good result and turn the tables on runaway Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel – but he cautions that with so many changes this year, a race already renowned as one of the most unpredictable on the calendar could throw up even more surprises than usual.

“We know this is one of the most prestigious races of the year,” the 34-year-old acknowledged. “There are a lot of question marks going into this year's race in terms of how the tyres will be, and the strategy could be the most complicated of the year. It's a track that I've always seemed to do reasonably well at, though, and I have some of my best memories as a racing driver there.

“It's clearly a demanding street circuit, which requires incredible concentration and composure for the drivers throughout the weekend, starting with Thursday's practice sessions. The dramatic coastline and cliffs make an incredible backdrop to one of the most famous tracks in the world – it's clearly like no other circuit we race at.”

“It's remarkable to drive an F1 car around Monaco,” concurred Vettel, who will arrive there with a commanding 41-point margin over any of his pursuers in the chase for the drivers' crown, having won four of the five grands prix this season to-date. “It's a completely unique track and a unique challenge for the driver. You have to push as hard as on a normal racetrack, but the smallest mistake can bring a big penalty.

“Grid position is very important and can determine your race, as traditionally, overtaking in Monaco is very tricky. Managing the traffic during qualifying is also a big challenge. As an event, it's one of the highlights of the year. We did well there last year, and I hope we can be very strong again.”

Meanwhile, RBR team principal Christian Horner has argued that the reason Vettel was pushed so hard for victory by Lewis Hamilton in last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix – despite an advantage of the best part of a second in qualifying – was that McLaren-Mercedes had brought a substantial raft of upgrades to its MP4-26.

“We knew it would be a close battle,” the Englishman told Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat. “It would be very presumptuous to believe we have a car that is one second per lap better. We just had a phenomenal qualifying. I stress that McLaren brought an enormous update to Spain – it's almost a B-model.”

Source: Crash.net

Webber: Margin for error very fine

Although he feels his start in Spain wasn't as "hideous" as some suggest it was, Mark Webber admits there is not much room for error

Webber started on pole position for the first time this season after ending his team-mate Sebastian Vettel's qualifying dominance on Saturday.

However, his joy was short-lived on Sunday as he allowed both Fernando Alonso and Vettel to pass him off the start.

It was always going to be an uphill battle for the Australian after that as it affected his strategy for the rest of the race.

"I don't think the start was hideous," he told BBC Sport.

"Fernando got a phenomenal one, he got down the inside and I was a bit compromised and then Seb was on the outside. It was not the start we had planned and then it was just chess from there. People covered each other off stops.

"At the end of the race I finished 40 seconds behind Lewis and Fernando finishes a lap behind the leader. Interesting day today and it goes to show you how fine the margins are when you are off a little bit on strategy. If you can't clear people at the right time, you get exposed. At certain stages I was quick, other stages I wasn't."

Source:Planet-F1

Video: BBC F1 2011 - 5 ESP - Red Bull's Mark Webber hails 'great performance'

Red Bull's Mark Webber praises his team after he gained pole position for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix



Source: FiftyBuckss

Webber: Today was my day

Mark Webber may have beaten Sebastian Vettel to pole in Spain but the Aussie says what he would rather have is the P1 on Sunday afternoon

Webber brought Vettel's run of pole positions to an end at Barcelona on Saturday, crossing the line with a 1:20.981, two-tenths up on his team-mate's best.

"It was a good session," said the Aussie, who climbed out of his car after topping Vettel's time as he realised that no-one else had the pace to beat him.

"We didn't underestimate the other guys, but Seb and I thought we would be battling for pole.

"I was just praying my time went above the number one (referring to Vettel) as I crossed the finishing line, and it did.

"It was a nice lap, a good battle with Seb, and today was my day."

And with the winner of the Spanish Grand Prix having been the driver starting from pole position on the last 10 occasions, Webber says he hopes "I can make it 11.

"I will relax tonight have a good sleep and come back tomorrow. I am looking forward to trying to get the victory tomorrow.

"If I am in this position tomorrow coming out of the last corner then I will be happy."

Source: Planet-F1

Qualifying: Webber ends Vettel's run

Mark Webber became the first driver to beat Sebastian Vettel to pole position this season, achieving the feat in Spain on Saturday

With Red Bull dominating this weekend's proceedings, many were expecting a Red Bull 1-2 in qualifying and the reigning World Champions delivered.

However, instead of Vettel taking pole, as he has down in all four previous races, it was Webber who bagged the coveted grid slot by 0.200s ahead of his team-mate.

Lewis Hamilton took third place while Fernando Alonso finally improved on his qualifying P5 to take fourth, 0.003s up on Jenson button.

Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg were next in line ahead of Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado in what proved to be a very strange, uneventful and downright boring qualifying shoot-out.

Michael Schumacher qualified P10 although the German never actually set a time.

Times
01. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m20.981s
02. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m21.181s + 0.200

03. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m21.961s + 0.980
04. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m21.964s + 0.983

05. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m21.996s + 1.015
06. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m22.471s + 1.490

07. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.599s + 1.618
08. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m22.888s + 1.907

09. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m22.952s + 1.971
10. Michael Schumacher Mercedes

11. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m23.231s + 1.691
12. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m23.367s + 1.827

13. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m23.694s + 2.154
14. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m23.702s + 2.162

15. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m25.403s + 3.863
16. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercede 1m26.126s + 4.586

17. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercede 1m26.571s + 5.031
18. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m26.521s + 3.561

19. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m26.910s + 3.950
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m27.315s + 4.355

21. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m27.809s + 4.849
22. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m27.908s + 4.948

23. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m28.556s + 5.596
24. Nick Heidfeld Renault No time

Source: Planet-F1

Webber: I need to be inch-perfect

Mark Webber has said he needs to be "inch-perfect" in qualifying if he wants to beat Sebastian Vettel in the future.

Having been outqualified by Vettel in every race so far this season - the reigning world champion has been on pole at every grand prix - Webber has also yet to finish ahead of him and already finds himself 38 points adrift in the championship standings. After struggling in the first two races of the season, Webber has bounced back with consecutive podiums and is hoping to continue his run

"I've now finished fifth, fourth, third and second in the four races of the year, so the trend is going in the right direction," Webber wrote in his Telegraph column. "We're off to Barcelona next, which is a track I like a lot. I won there last year and finished third the year before, and we had two good test sessions there over the winter. I just need to keep working."

Webber did admit that in order to get the better of his team-mate in the future he was going to have a faultless weekend.

"He's at the top of his game at the moment and it's up to me to close the gap. To beat Seb in Spain, I'll have to do a better job than I did in Turkey. I'll need to be inch-perfect in qualifying and then have a cleaner first stint in the race than I did in Turkey because that will throw open a few more options in terms of strategy."

Source: ESPNF1

Webber searching for Seb's weaknesses

Just three weeks after claiming Sebastian Vettel is beatable, Mark Webber is now struggling to identify his team-mate's "weaknesses"

The Australian was forced to settle for second place behind Vettel after another faultless pole to chequered flag display from the defending World Champion at the Turkish Grand Prix. Sunday's victory helped Vettel to stretch his lead in the Drivers' Championship to 34 points after just four races.

Webber admits it's difficult to stop his team-mate at the moment, but urged the rest of the pack to end his great start to the season.

"He is on top of his game," the 34-year-old said. "He's had a great start to the season and he is near to his maximum. It's not ideal for the rest of us, but it is up to us to bring that to the end sooner rather than later.

"Everyone has weaknesses, and it is up to you to interrogate those as much as you can. Seb has done a good start, and the team has done a great job so that is it."

Webber was left kicking himself after he got off to a poor start at Istanbul Park and slipped behind Nico Rosberg who, according to the Red Bull man, didn't make the cleanest of moves.

"I got the maximum I could actually," Webber said.

"It would have been difficult to beat Seb. It would have been easier if I was ahead of Rosberg. Nico is doing his race, fair enough, but he could have made a cleaner move initially. In the end the result is as it deserves to be, I think."

Source: Planet-F1

Webber: Looking good for the race

Mark Webber: We spoke before qualifying and decided that, as tomorrow is going to be a long race, every lap you could save today might help tomorrow. It turns out that we're in the best possible grid positions and the team did a good job, as we have saved a set of tyres too, so it's looking good

Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber is feeling confident ahead of tomorrow's F1 2011 Turkish Grand Prix.

Webber will start the fourth round of the season from second on the grid and while the Aussie was disappointed to again lose out to his team-mate, Sebastian Vettel, having been four tenths slower, he reckons the team's decision to only opt for one-run in Q3 will pay dividends in the race.

“I would have liked to have got a couple more tenths to have the margin. But obviously Sebastian did a very good lap for pole, but my lap wasn't too bad either,” Webber reflected.

“We spoke before qualifying and decided that, as tomorrow is going to be a long race, every lap you could save today might help tomorrow. It turns out that we're in the best possible grid positions and the team did a good job, as we have saved a set of tyres too, so it's looking good.

“There were some good decisions from the team. I'm happy with today and am looking forward to tomorrow's race.”

Red Bull Racing team boss, Christian Horner meanwhile was delighted to see his two men lock-out the front row, the first time the squad has managed that this year.

He also added that while it was a bit of a risk not to do two-runs in the shoot-out, the gamble did pay off.

“A great team performance,” he continued. “We elected not to do a second run with both drivers; we knew it would be a little tight, but strategically we believe it was the right thing to do, as both drivers now have a new set of tyres available for tomorrow's race.”

Source: Crash.net

Mark Webber: 'KERS worked well'

Mark Webber has confirmed Red Bull's KERS worked well during free practice for the Turkish Grand Prix on Friday.

Red Bull has struggled with its KERS reliablility this season and Webber's car has borne the brunt of the teething problems. After working tirelessly on the problems over the Easter break however, Webber reported that the team had made progress.

"KERS worked pretty well this afternoon - each time we use it we get more experience so, so far so good," he said.

His team-mate Sebastian Vettel crashed heavily during the wet first practice session, meaning Webber had to carry out the team's development and set-up work alone in the afternoon. The Australian said the session had gone well and the data he gathered would be shared with Vettel.

"We learned quite a lot today," Webber said. "It's a pretty challenging venue here with the new regulations - so it was tricky for us all with the weather this morning. We had to fit a lot of our planned work in to this afternoon, but it went smoothly. Sebastian had an issue this morning which could happen to any of us; it just shows you can lose a session very easily. The team will share the data that we gathered this afternoon."

Source: ESPNF1

Webber likely to end career at Red Bull

Mark Webber insists he is keeping his options open for next year but admitted it was unlikely he would leave Red Bull for another team.

Webber is on a rolling year-by-year contract with the team and it was about this time last year, after two victories in Spain and Monaco, that he signed up for 2011. But he said the situation is different this time around and a decision would not be dependent on results.

"It's a bit harder," he told reporters on Thursday. "So whether it ends this year or I go again next year, it doesn't depend on results. Results will be fine. It depends on how I feel."

Webber played down the likelihood of driving for another team in 2012 after stories last week that he might look elsewhere.

"I've three options: stay here, stop or drive somewhere else - which is probably unlikely," Webber added. "I am obviously in good contact with the team, and every year we've done the same. It's obviously a lot down to how I feel about things and we'll see how we feel later in the year. We haven't had too many discussions of yet, but obviously in the next few months things will start."

He said moving from Williams to Red Bull in 2007 had been a key moment in his career and, hinting that he was keen to stay at bit longer, added: "There have been a lot of things that have happened in the last few years that have been big highlights for me, sensational moments. I hope I can add to those in the next few years and go from there. There are still a lot of big boxes to tick."

Source: ESPNF1

Webber: I’m determined to fight for the title

Mark Webber intends to fight for the title just like he did last year

Mark Webber denied that he will retire from Formula 1 if he is not signed by Red Bull for next season and is totally committed to fight for the 2011 title.

The Australian told La Stampa during his showcar run in Turin, “I’m determined. Last year I fought for the title and I want to do it again.”

Team boss Christian Horner claimed recently that Australian Webber has “no desire” to switch to a rival camp as his current contract is set to expire at the end of 2011.

The 34-year-old has had a difficult start to the new season but he told reporters that he is confident of a surge of form in forthcoming races.

“When this championship ends my contract with Red Bull does as well,” Webber told the Italian newspaper. “But I don’t think it depends on the results; I want to win for me.”

“We’ll see,” added Webber. “If the team doesn’t want me any more, I will have to ask myself a question — hang up my helmet or change teams?”

He admitted he has “flaws” but said his teammate and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel does too.

As for Vettel, Webber answered: “Sebastian is very fast and he now has a good amount of experience. But he’s not unbeatable.”

“I prefer not to talk about his weaknesses, but we all have them,” he insisted.

Webber showed ‘true grit’ when he overcame a torrid qualifying in Shanghai, which saw him start 18th on the grid, to recover and after scything through the field in the RB7 finished third.

The message on the day was clear from the Aussie: don’t count me out.

Source: YallaF1

Mark Webber desperate for Red Bull to fix KERS

Mark Webber has warned Red Bull will fall off the pace quickly unless it can resolve its KERS curse

Formula One's leading team has struggled from the start of the season with the power-boosting device.

Despite either having KERS part-functioning or not working at all, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel managed to win the first two races and was second in China last week behind McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

Webber carved his way through the field from 18th to third in perhaps his best-ever drive but says Red Bull won't be able to hold McLaren at bay for long unless its KERS issue is fixed.

"McLaren have a huge amount of experience with Mercedes from 2009 and they're doing a good job of it, and that's not an excuse," Webber said.

"It means that we have to work harder, we have to work as cleverly as we can and as fast as we can.

"Fortunately, we now have a bit of a break, so it will be a clear focus for us in terms of durability and consistency and also understanding the system.

"We have awesome guys on the case. With the limited experience we have, that's the way it is and we're still going okay in the constructors' championship, so let's regroup, get to (the next race in) Turkey and work hard on it."

Webber said the KERS problem was doing more than just slowing down Red Bull's cars.

"It's not only a performance thing but it's also incredibly disrupting in the garage. My car was rebuilt about four times this weekend," he added.

"It makes it so much harder for them in terms of making mistakes, when you open a car up and put it back together all the time, it's not easy."

Webber has yet to run a working KERS in a race this season, and Vettel has only had it part-time at the last two grands prix.

According to Vettel, the lack of KERS cost him his third win of the season in Shanghai.

Team boss Christian Horner said Red Bull would make the reliability of their KERS a priority during the three-week break to the start of the European leg of the season in Turkey next month.

Source: Herald Sun

Webber relishing Vettel's loss

Mark Webber may not have won the Chinese GP, however, he was one of the happiest guys around as his team-mate Sebastian Vettel also didn't win

Vettel claimed dominant wins in Australia and Malaysia prompting some to question whether F1 should just gift him the title right now.

After taking pole in China, it appeared as if it was going to be another Vettel victory.

However, the German lost out to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who used his fresher rubber to pass the reigning World Champ on lap 52, taking the win.

Surprisingly, the man who was happy to see Vettel lose was his own Red Bull team-mate.

"Congratulations to Lewis. It was good that someone finally... of course Seb is in the same team, but he's been on a phenomenal run and we're all here together fighting for victories," said the Aussie.

"Shame McLaren won in a way, but also we can't let Seb get too far away. It was a good day for the racing, I think, and a good day for us in terms of points for the team."

As for his own grand prix, Webber fought back from a dismal P18 in qualifying to finish on the podium, slicing past the Ferraris, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button in the final ten laps thanks to his newer tyres.

"It was an interesting GP, we decided to start on the prime hard tyre. We know it was not the more desired tyre. We got that out of the way, and it was quite tricky. It was not easy to come back with those guys.

"But I got the car back and we really started from there. To still see P17 on board after 15 laps [was hard], then I felt comfortable with car, and I had a few sets of tyres left after qualifying - so maybe the best bet is not to take part in qualifying and go from there!

"Jokes aside, great job this weekend, the guys haven't given up - it is a drive for everyone at the factory."

Source: Planet-F1

Video: Mark Webber rues disastrous qualifying in China

A disappointed Mark Webber says he could not get enough out of his tyres in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, as he is surprisingly eliminated in Q1 and will start the race in 18th place



Source: FiftyBuckss

Webber: We snookered ourselves

Mark Webber, arguably the most outspoken driver in F1, has refused to heap scorn on his team after dropping out in Q1 in China

The Aussie qualified down in 18th place for the Shanghai race as he team did not send him out on the soft option tyres despite him being in danger of being knocked out.

But, instead of lambasting the team for the decision, Webber appears to have taken it in his stride.

"When any top team goes out in Q1 we can all put the hindsight goggles on go yeah, we should have done this. In the end for sure options would have made life easier, that's completely obvious," he said.

"We could have made that decision, but we didn't, as a team.

"We all thought we were going to get enough laps in on the prime to get the two timed in, but we were a bit late going out, and they were the wrong tyre as well.

"The timing was the problem, not the tyre."

But it wasn't only in qualifying that Webber ran into problems as he also suffered an electrical issue during the final practice, which meant he went into qualifying with just five laps under his belt on Saturday - and only one of those was a flying lap.

"One lap in P3, that doesn't help. We were a little bit on the back foot.

"Obviously the guys did a phenomenal job, we just got the car together minutes before qualifying.

"We went out and my first run was probably half a second shy of where we needed to be, with obviously KERS as well added on top of that.

"We were on the bubble and decided to go for another run on the prime to have a few laps on it, but we never got out quick enough, so we only had one timed lap, and added to that the tyres weren't up to temp. So that second set was a bit more difficult to get the job done.

"I was pretty cool with it, but obviously we all started to panic a bit at the end when we knew we weren't going to get in two laps. The tyre should have been enough, but on one lap it wasn't enough.

"That's where we got squeezed. We snookered ourselves really."

Source: Planet-F1

Webber loses cool with journalist

Mark Webber lost his cool and was reduced to an expletive on Thursday as he faced the world’s press who tried to sum up his start to the 2011 F1 World Championship season.

A reporter in Shanghai dared to suggest that the Red Bull driver is to Sebastian Vettel, the reigning champion and two-time winner from pole in 2011, what Eddie Irvine was to Michael Schumacher all those years ago.

“Absolutely f***ing ludicrous question, mate,” he snarled.

Webber, with his contract running out with Red Bull, had an awful weekend in Australia and a KERS failure a week ago in Malaysia, but he vowed to fight back in China.

“He’s not just beating me, he’s beating everyone,” he insisted when asked about Vettel. “No one will turn up then, might as well stay at home. People always make the natural comparison between you and your teammate, and Seb is driving really, really well and is on top of a lot of things at the moment.

“It could be a lot worse than it is at the moment,” he added. “I am still performing pretty well, I believe, and also we’re learning a lot.”

As for his mental state two races down and 28 points behind, the Australian answered: “I’m fine mate. I think if you were much, much younger then obviously you’d be panicking. But I’ve been around the block.”

Source: YallaF1

Webber was 'killed' without KERS

Mark Webber concedes his Malaysian GP chances were all but over after he lost KERS on his way to the grid

Red Bull have struggled with the reliability of their KERS unit this season, which resulted in the team contesting the opening Australian GP without the power boost.

But, believing they had resolved their issues, the team opted to race it in Malaysia this weekend. Unfortunately for Webber, though, they were wrong.

The Aussie unit died while he was on his way to the grid on Sunday afternoon, forcing him to contest the 56-lap race at a serious disadvantage in the sweaty humidity.

Webber put in an admirable performance to finish in fourth place, only just losing out on a podium finish to Renault's Nick Heidfeld.

"It was a tough race," he told the BBC. "You get killed on the long runs without KERS and it's tough to clear people."

Webber's chances of chasing down Heidfeld for third were also hampered when he was forced to come in a bit earlier than scheduled for his final pit stop.

"I would've liked to have gone a bit longer on my fourth set of tyres so that I could have better conditions on my last set, but I was losing too much time behind Lewis (Hamilton) so had to come in earlier."

Source: Planet-F1

Webber: That was better than Melbourne

Mark Webber: It was a better performance from me today compared to Melbourne and I'm looking forward to tomorrow

Mark Webber was relatively encouraged by his performance in qualifying for the Malaysian GP.

Webber eventually finished the top-ten shoot-out in third, behind his Red Bull Racing team-mate, Sebastian Vettel in P1 and Lewis Hamilton. Despite again having to settle for a place on the second row though, just like he did in Australia two weeks ago, he was a lot happier with his form.

Indeed unlike at Albert Park he was right in contention for pole and his best lap, a 1 minute 35.179 seconds, left him just 0.309 seconds off the top time, a lot closer than it was two weeks ago, when the gap to Vettel was more than eight tenths.

“I knew it would be very tight; everyone was on a single pace after the first flying lap on the option tyre in Q3,” Webber said.

“It was pretty straight forward for us; you have to just drive as quick as you can when it's like that. “We can't control how tight it is, to get a few tenths more, you have to just do your best. It was a better performance from me today compared to Melbourne and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

“I'm starting on the clean side of the grid and it should be an interesting race – I think there will be a lot of pit stops.”

Renault's Cyril Dumont, who is assigned to the Red Bull Racing team, added: “It was a tough qualifying session, tougher than in Australia I would say. We had to do some set-up work engine-wise in order to improve the car from yesterday, so we're happy it was working well today.

“We have a 1-3 again for the start of tomorrow's race, like last year – although then the drivers were the other way round. Hopefully we'll get the same race result too – with a 1-2 finish.”

Source: Crash.net