Webber looks back: '2010 was pretty stressful'

Red Bull Racing has so far produced two world champions in Formula 1. Although Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen are among the greats, they also had help from their teammates. Those teammates were often close to winning a championship themselves, like Mark Webber.

Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez were third twice in the drivers' championship for Red Bull, Webber three times, including in 2010. The result of that championship describes the Australian as a 'close call' at AutoHebdo.

An unprecedentedly exciting season

According to Webber, 2010 was extraordinarily stressful. The drivers were hugely competitive and the top ten consisted of a long list of highly successful drivers: Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Webber himself, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica, Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. A golden generation according to some.

Despite coming very close to his dream, Webber has no regrets about the effort he put in. Vettel had fished 256 points in at the end of the 2010 season, Alonso 252 and himself 242. Barely a difference between them, but he says he gave it his all. He also explained that everyone made mistakes during that season. So, the tension was palpable and it ultimately came down to very small things. 

"Seb eventually took the lead [of the championship] in the most important race of the season, [Abu Dhabi], which was also the last one. It was a great championship for the fans."

'I don't miss the competition'

The Australian is surprised by the fact that some drivers of his generation, such as Button and Barrichello, are still racing. Unlike them he does not, he says, miss the competition. Rather, what he misses is the 'camaraderie' one experiences, the structure and cohesion of a team. After leaving the sport, he only realised how well matched the people within an F1 team are and how special that actually is.