Porsche Road & Race

Your favourite online journal covering Porsche's rich motorsport heritage

Porsche Road and Race Shop leaderboard ad
  • Motorsport
    • WEC
    • Supercup
    • Carrera Cup
    • Imsa Weathertech Sportscar Championship
    • Intercontinental GT Challenge
    • Other Motorsport
    • Fact Files
      • Current Race Cars
      • Racing Drivers
        • Current Racing Drivers
        • Past Racing Drivers
      • Team Personnel
  • Yesteryear
    • Motorsport
    • Race Cars
    • Road Cars
    • Profiles
    • Other
  • Road Cars
    • 911
    • 718 Cayman
    • 718 Boxster
  • My Porsche
    • My Story
    • Pic of the Week
  • News
    • Porsche News
    • Porsche Museum News
    • Around the World
    • Auction News
    • Other News
  • Videos
  • Books
    • Book Reviews
    • SPECIAL BOOK OFFERS
  • Calendar
  • About us
    • Contributors
      • Glen Smale – Editor
      • Elke Smale
      • Martin Raffauf
      • Kieron Fennelly
      • Lucian Sonea
      • Kevin Ehrlich
      • Andrew Hosking
      • Richard Wiley
    • What We Do
    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Basket
You are here: Home / Motorsport / Fact Files / Mark Webber (AUS)

Mark Webber (AUS)

30th August 2016 by: Glen Smale | Leave a Comment

Mark Webber, Porsche driver, Silverstone 6h 2014
Mark Webber, Porsche driver, Silverstone 6h 2014

Born: 27th August 1976
Where: Queanbeyan, Australia
Lives: Buckinghamshire, UK
Height/weight: 1.83 m/76 kg
Marital status:  Partner Ann Neal
Hobbies: Sports, mountain biking, flying helicopters

It’s been two years now since Mark Webber has had a roof over his head. After 215 Formula 1 Grands Prix, and having won nine of them, he left the F1 paddock to become a Porsche works driver. “It was a big change and a challenge to adapt to LMP1 and the intense teamwork, an entirely new experience,” the Australian admits. Sharing the Porsche 919 Hybrid with two other drivers requires compromises for seats, pedal systems and set-up. The better a driver feels, the faster he is. Because this is vital and beneficial for all three of them, they take good care of each other. “I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed the sharing a car after a short period of familiarisation,” he said.

Advertisements

Webber is a straightforward man and he’s honest with himself. In his book Aussie Grit: My Formula One Journey, published in 2015, he gives a deeper insight into his career. He left his home in Queanbeyan in New South Wales, Australia, at the age of 19 with a clear goal, to further his career as a racing driver in England. He was one of many, and one of those without a sponsor, but he had natural talent. He won the prestigious Formula Ford Festival in Brands Hatch, and also contested Formula 3 and Formula 3000. He was invited to join the sports car programme at Mercedes, where the 24-hour Le Mans race was set to be the highlight of the 1999 season. The car and the team were considered favourites, but the aerodynamics were treacherous, with the car becoming airborne. Webber’s car launched into a backflip in the qualifying session and again in the warm-up. He survived two dramatic crashes unharmed, but his career seemed to have run out of steam. The page turned, however, with a successful Formula 1 test drive for the Benetton team, which secured him a test and reserve driver position in 2001.

Advertisements

Webber’s Formula 1 debut was distinctive, he finished fifth in 2002 in Melbourne with an inferior Minardi and in 2005 he scored his first podium with the former BMW Williams F1 team. He celebrated his first F1 win at the 2009 German Grand Prix with Red Bull Racing in his 131st Grand Prix. In 2010 and 2012 he won the Monaco Grand Prix.

After 15 years, it was an older and more mature Webber who returned to La Sarthe in 2014. His incident-packed experience from 1999 seemed far away, but until now a happy ending had evaded him. In 2014, as he was driving in second place with only two more hours to go, a bang from the powertrain shattered the dream. In 2015, the 919 that he again shared with Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley was running in the lead during the first third of the race, only to have a time penalty relegate them down the field. The trio launched a charge through the field to claim second place. The great triumph followed at a nerve-wracking finale in Bahrain. “To have scored my first World Championship title with Timo and Brendon with Porsche means a great deal to me,” says Webber. He never talks about this feat without mentioning his teammates.

Advertisements
Advert for Porsche 956/962 book

His affinity to Porsche, however, is nothing new. As a teenager he drove a 911, borrowed from a friend, and when he bought his own first Porsche he went straight for a Turbo model. What Porsche means to him: “Highly developed sports cars without being overstated, perfect for me and perfect in every scenario.” Privately, however, he rings the changes, because at home in the garage sits a 918 Spyder, a 911 GT2 RS and a GT3 RS 4.0.

Mark Webber competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, in a Porsche 919 Hybrid for the Porsche Team.

Career

2016      Porsche works driver WEC, LMP1
2015      Porsche works driver WEC, LMP1; Drivers’ World Champion with Bernhard/Hartley; 4 wins (Nürburgring, Austin, Fuji, Shanghai); 3 pole positions; 2nd in Le Mans
2014      Porsche works driver WEC, LMP1; 3rd Silverstone, Fuji and Bahrain; pole position São Paulo
2013      3rd Formula One World Championship (Infiniti Red Bull Racing)
2012      6th Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing); 1st Monaco, Silverstone
2011      3rd Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing); 1st São Paulo
2010     3rd Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing); 1st Barcelona, Monaco, Silverstone, Budapest
2009    4th Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing); 1st Nürburgring, São Paulo
2008    11th Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing); 2007  12th Formula One World Championship (Red Bull Racing)
2006    14th Formula One World Championship (Williams F1 Team)
2005    10th Formula One World Championship (BMW Williams F1 Team)
2004    13th Formula One World Championship (Jaguar Racing)
2003    10th Formula One World Championship (Jaguar Racing)
2002    16th Formula One World Championship (KL Minardi Asiatech)
2001     2nd Formula 3000 Championship (3 wins); Formula One test driver (Benetton Renault)
2000    3rd Formula 3000 Championship (EFR/Arrows, 1 win); Formula One test driver (Arrows)
1999     FIA GT Championship (AMG Mercedes, opt out after the Le Mans 24 Hours)
1998     2nd FIA GT Championship (AMG Mercedes, 5 wins)
1997     4th British Formula 3 Championship (1 win)
1996     2nd British Formula Ford Championship (4 wins); Winner Formula Ford Festival Brands Hatch
1995     4th Australian Formula Ford Championship; 3rd Formula Ford Festival Brands Hatch
1994     Debut Australian Formula Ford Championship
1991-1993 Karting

Source: Porsche

Save Article as PDF

OTHER ARTICLES YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN

Share this:

Categories: Fact Files, Past Racing Drivers Tags: LMP1, Mark, Porsche, Webber

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

E-mail Subscription

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE and be the first to receive new articles directly into your inbox:

Archives

Connect with us

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Book Reviews

50 Years Porsche 914

Whether you love it or hate it, the 914 served as a very important family member in the Porsche

DBR 9 – The Definitive History

At Porsche Road & Race, we receive many books for review, and these include books on all manner

Porsche 964: The Modern Classic

The history of Porsche sportscars is peppered with iconic models that stand out as special, from the

More Book Reviews ››

Our Other Websites

Virtual Motorpix new website icon
Virtual Motorpix blog link with new logo

OTHER ARTICLES YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN

Join us on Facebook

Join us on Facebook

Disclaimer

Porsche Road & Race is entirely independent and is in no way connected with the company Dr. Ing. H.C. F. Porsche AG or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries. Please also read our full Disclaimer.

Follow us on Twitter

Tweets by Porsche Road & Race

Contact us

We welcome your questions, comments and feedback. Please click here to contact us.

OTHER ARTICLES YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN

Advertising

Please contact us if you would like to discuss advertising opportunities on Porsche Road & Race.

OTHER ARTICLES YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN

Connect with us

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Please share our website

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2021 Porsche Road & Race