Several newspapers are reporting that Mark Webber is claiming he’s the underdog to lift the F1 drivers’ title. This is what Mark really said in his Suzuka press conference… but first he gives us his take on his Singapore collision with Lewis Hamilton…
Is Lewis Hamilton too aggressive when trying to overtake?
Lewis is a great competitor, and I expect nothing less from him, and that’s what it’s all about. When people are fighting in a corner, and they’re both reasonably competitive, you can have contact. We both know that there wasn’t too much between both of us getting through that corner, but in the end we didn’t – and that’s just what happened. Lewis races hard and fair and we hope that’s how it continues at the front.
In his position would you have done the same?
Yeah. He knew it was probably the only opportunity.
When you were side-by-side with Lewis, were you thinking about the championship position?
Not at all – but it happens so fast. You know what’s right and what’s wrong and you do your best.
Leading the championship, will you play the percentages? Will it be enough to get to the finish every week and bank the points?
No. That won’t be enough. I need to keep racing hard and go for victories. That’s what we need to do. Clearly if [the other four title contenders] have a rough weekend it makes it a bit harder for them. I have a bit more scope, but I’m certainly not looking to abuse that advantage because it can disappear very, very fast.
How do you view an 11-point lead. Is it a little or a lot?
It is whatever it is! It’s a fourth or fifth place or something like that. It’d be a nice advantage to have at the last race – but this isn’t the last race.
Fernando Alonso at Ferrari is now your closest rival, but he doesn’t have to race against his team-mate. Is that an advantage for him?
Well, it’s certainly not a disadvantage for him… I think it’s just the way it’s turned out this year for them as a team. Felipe [Massa] had a difficult middle phase of the year which left him a long way behind. We’ve seen it once [Ferrari employing team orders] but whether we’ll see it again… that depends how it plays out. Obviously they need to be together on track for it to work. If there are cars in between then Fernando’s on his own. But I don’t think Fernando needs much help from Felipe.
So, you don’t think Felipe will be used to hold up the field?
Oh, then I’d be pissed off, but I don’t think they’d do that. That’s not part of the game. If there’s natural releasing and changing positions, that’s something that’s happened for a long time, we know that, but if you go back to the Irvine-Schumacher days, that’s not cricket.
Why isn’t it cricket? Isn’t this a tactical sport?
Not when you’re holding people up intentionally. But it won’t happen anyway.
Do you expect Ferrari to be good here at Suzuka?
Well, they weren’t very quick in Turkey, but they were quick at Silverstone… the cars have changed massively since the middle part of the championship. Everyone’s moved forward performance-wise with their cars. Ferrari I expect to be right in the hunt here, but I expect all three teams [in the title fight] to be quick.
But will Red Bull have the advantage at this circuit?
We hope so. But hoping doesn’t do much. We need to do it on the track.
Are you expecting to win?
Certainly we’re here trying to win…
Seb won here last year, does that give him an advantage?
Well, Seb winning this weekend wouldn’t be the end of the world for me either…
How do you like the pressure of being the championship favourite?
I’m not the favourite!
Who is?
I think we’re all pretty even and it can change pretty quickly – in a good way for me or a bad way for me. It’s on a knife-edge. But I’m very, very relaxed. This is just another race for me. I’ll go out there and leave no change on the table, do the best I can and the points will look after themselves.
The bookies say you’re the favourite…
Yeah, but they change with the wind don’t they? Bit like the media really…
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