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| Mark Webber had to wait until his eighth F1 season to start to realise the potential he showed when he burst onto the scene with a surprise fifth-place finish in a sluggish Minardi in his debut grand prix in 2002. His first two wins and a career-best fourth in the drivers' championship finally arrived in 2009 with Red Bull, ending years of frustration as F1's 'nearly man'. It seems like only recently Webber was a young gun who was the talk of the infield, drawing comparison with some of the greats. Given the season has almost always opened with Webber's home race in Melbourne, hype has always surrounded his chances of pushing for end of year honours. Now one of the elder statesmen of the sport, Webber has belatedly started to turn sheer potential and determination into podiums and race wins with the fastest and most reliable car he has driven. Webber had long been referred to as the unluckiest driver in the sport - it seems mechanical failures, accidents and other incidents have followed him wherever he has gone, holding him back from greater triumphs. Although that curse has dissipated somewhat in recent years, the former Minardi, Jaguar and Williams driver still hasn't quite found the consistency required to mount a serious championship challenge. With Webber re-signed for arguably one of the top teams in the paddock for 2010 - Red Bull - he stands his strongest chance yet of delivering a championship winning performance. |
