Webber: 'The Ball Is In My Court'

[shackfu99]

I don't know, I think that Kimi and Vettel could co-exist as teammates. They're friends off track, and if anyone could push the team for an equal status with Vettel it would be Kimi. I think if Webber leaves, realistically Kimi will fill the spot. It will be interesting to see where Webber would go though, I'd say Ferrari because they want a strong number 2, with Massa going to Lotus.

Webber to Ferrari would make sense for him, no doubt. I think he could push Alonso.
Kimi and Seb are friends, but as evident with the way Webber has been treated, no way Kimi would get a fair shake. RB doesn't care that they are friends. They need a #2 who knows he is a #2 and nothing more. " We need you to be in the top 10 consistently and nothing more. This is Seb's team". Just my opinion.

 

[bptuna]

Webber to Ferrari would make sense for him, no doubt. I think he could push Alonso.
Kimi and Seb are friends, but as evident with the way Webber has been treated, no way Kimi would get a fair shake. RB doesn't care that they are friends. They need a #2 who knows he is a #2 and nothing more. " We need you to be in the top 10 consistently and nothing more. This is Seb's team". Just my opinion.

I agree that they would try to force Kimi into a #2 role if he signed with them, but I don't think Kimi would listen very well, and further I don't think that RBR would do anything about it, just like they did nothing to Seb after Malyasia because with a driver lineup of Vettel and Raikkonen they'd be all but guarenteed the Constructor's Championship

 

[Markus Neumann]

I don't see why anyone would think that RB would even try to force Kimi into the role of a number 2 driver. Webber is the number 2 driver because he's been beaten by Vettel 4 out of 4 times in the WDC, and it doesn't look particularly good in the current one either.
RB doesn't give a damn who brings them the championship, as a matter of fact, given the PR image they're trying to project, they might even prefer if it wasn't always the same guy.
Oh, and Helmut Marko has two responsibilities: a) The Young Driver's Programme and b) barking at the press and various competitors. He doesn't actually have much say in RB.

Edit: Seems it's official now, by the way: "Webber to leave F1 at end of season"

 

[Tony Holder]

Mark Webber to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2013 season


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/23074108

 

[bptuna]

I don't see why anyone would think that RB would even try to force Kimi into the role of a number 2 driver. Webber is the number 2 driver because he's been beaten by Vettel 4 out of 4 times in the WDC, and it doesn't look particularly good in the current one either.
RB doesn't give a damn who brings them the championship, as a matter of fact, given the PR image they're trying to project, they might even prefer if it wasn't always the same guy.
Oh, and Helmut Marko has two responsibilities: a) The Young Driver's Programme and b) barking at the press and various competitors. He doesn't actually have much say in RB.

Edit: Seems it's official now, by the way: "Webber to leave F1 at end of season"

Well even if they did try to get Kimi into a #2 role I highly doubt he'd stand for it anyway, what I really take from this is now that Webber is leaving, and I can't see Kimi not going to RBR, if Ferrari decide to replace Massa, he might have a chance to actually win if he went to Lotus

 

[David O'Reilly]

I don't see why anyone would think that RB would even try to force Kimi into the role of a number 2 driver. Webber is the number 2 driver because he's been beaten by Vettel 4 out of 4 times in the WDC, and it doesn't look particularly good in the current one either.
RB doesn't give a damn who brings them the championship, as a matter of fact, given the PR image they're trying to project, they might even prefer if it wasn't always the same guy.
Oh, and Helmut Marko has two responsibilities: a) The Young Driver's Programme and b) barking at the press and various competitors. He doesn't actually have much say in RB.

Edit: Seems it's official now, by the way: "Webber to leave F1 at end of season"

I have to respectfully disagree.
If this were the case they would not have....
1) Taken Webbers new front wing and given it to Seb after Seb broke his at Silverstone (prompting the "not bad for a #2 driver" quote)
2) Blamed Webber for Vettels poorly judged attempted overtake in Turkey and made lame statements about Seb being in a better position to win due to his slight fuel margin (in the opening stint!)etc.
3) Allowed Vettel to ignore team orders at Malaysia with impunity.

Vettel outpaced Webber convincingly in one season only of 4 the season of the Blown Diffuser. In every other one its been close and in 2010 the title looked like Webbers until his crash in a wet Korean GP. In my view Vettel has s slight edge but Webber is capable of beating him and has done.
This season It took an ugly move in the final stint at Sepang and defying team orders to beat him.

So no In my View the Redbull brand nay be edgy and risk taking but the F1 team is managed in a hidebound fearful way with intense politics. If Horner wasnt answerable to Marko he would have disciplined Vettel. Also in my view RBR would have had the last 4 constructor titles without Vettel.

 

[Markus Neumann]

I have to respectfully disagree.
If this were the case they would not have....
Blamed Webber for Vettels poorly judged attempted overtake in Turkey and made lame statements about Seb being in a better position to win due to his slight fuel margin (in the opening stint!)etc.

That was Marko, not Horner. Horner said it was Vettel's fault.

Vettel outpaced Webber convincingly in one season only of 4 the season of the Blown Diffuser. In every other one its been close and in 2010 the title looked like Webbers until his crash in a wet Korean GP. In my view Vettel has s slight edge but Webber is capable of beating him and has done.

2009: Webber scored 83% of Vettel's points
2010: Webber scored 95% of Vettel's points
2011: Webber scored 66% of Vettel's points
2012: Webber scored 64% of Vettel's points
2013: Webber scored 52% of Vettel's points so far
Seems pretty convincing to me.

This season It took an ugly move in the final stint at Sepang and defying team orders to beat him.
So no In my View the Redbull brand nay be edgy and risk taking but the F1 team is managed in a hidebound fearful way with intense politics. If Horner wasnt answerable to Marko he would have disciplined Vettel.

How do you know Horner didn't discipline Vettel? RB tends to handle these things internally without letting out any information. They could have cut his salary, denied him the money for winning the GP (drivers usually get a reward if they win, get a podium, etc.); forced him to do additional PR events, who knows?
Of course they wouldn't do anything that would hurt their championship hopes, why would they?

I really like Webber and I'd love it if he stayed in F1 for another ten years. But that doesn't change the fact that Vettel is totally kicking his ass, and you can't just argue that fact away.

 

[David O'Reilly]

I used the phrase outpaced not outpointed and I stand by it. Your points tally does not account for race incidents in the second half of 2012 such as Grojean in Suzuka and others that cost Webber many points.
Allowing for that Vettel has beaten him not kicked his arse as you put it. An arse kicking is what Kimi has done to Grojean or Alonso did to Massa last year.
You still have not answered my central point re faouvitism? only the points performance of the drivers..At an rate I doubt we will reach agreement so lets leave it at that.

 

[Markus Neumann]

Fair enough.