[BadbarmrapBef]

His one and only chance is gone I'm afraid.

Will he be happy to be a number 2? Would you?

I think he may leave.

[Acrogeokickic]

Mark and Vettel are in completely different career positions.

Vettel is at the base of his mountain and will only get better.

Webber on the other hand is very near the summit of his personal mountain, and at some point age will begin to catch up with him.

Personally I think this may have already begun to happen. Webber for most of his early career was actually a bit like Vettel, only he was driving rubbish equipment unlike Seb, but Webber was always stunning in his qualifying ability, always making his team mates look a bit crap when it came to the qualifying performances, but his race performances had always left a lot to be desired. This is a lot like Vettel, Seb has been awesome, just AWESOME in his qualifying abilities both this year and last, but particularly last year and also this year to some extent his races had been a bit error prone, just like Mark's early career.

Now things have changed, Webber now is much better racer, sure he made two mistakes this year, and paid a heavy price for both, but generally I think he has been the better racer of the two Red Bull drivers this year, this is clear I think given that Seb massively out qualified Mark, but the race results where frequently the other way around. This was especially the case last year. But now Mark I think has lost that outright qualifying pace, he just can't consistantly live with Seb when it comes to qualifying, earlier in his career this just wouldn't happen! Mark was always quicker then his team mates in qualifying...

So things have come full circle, Mark can't beat Seb on pure speed, but he has shown he can still beat him by being the smarter and better racer.

I believe he can still do this next year and still have another good crack at the title, but he is running out of time, I think he still has next year, but 2012? 2013? At some point his body, his reflexes, his concentration, and his dodgy leg is going to prevent him from being able to live with Seb.

So its a battle against time, Webber needs to beat Seb before its too late, and 2011 could very well be his last shot

[MightyMasd]

I honestly don't think RBR really favoured Vettel that much tbh. Sure they might have thrown him under the bus today but at that stage he wasn't going to win. As simple as that sadly. I'm sure if the shoe had been on the other foot Seb would have jumped under the bus for Mark

I think too much was made out of the silly wing. Mark won that race anyway.....

i don't think that they have particularly favoured Vettel either, but they made damn sure they didn't favour Mark as they could reasonably have done in Japan, Brazil. and as DC has pointed out correctly a few times, there is a big difference between being given equal machinery and opportunities and feeling as "loved" by the team. it is a fact that Vettel is Red Bull's favoured son, not that they don't like and respect Mark, but that there is a definite edge to their appreciation of Vettel IMO. its like Mark is adopted!

i agree if positions had been dofferent Vettel would have helped Mark to win. I don't think that will be enough for Mark, and even if he does stay i can't see him being as close to Seb as he has been this year, if his heart is not in it

[mymnduccete]

I honestly don't think RBR really favoured Vettel that much tbh.

Oh, I think that Vettel is massively favoured within Red Bull, if not the whole of the RBR team or in terms of car spec. After all, one driver is a 30-something Australian and the other is a 20-something German (and thus German-speaking, an advantage in terms of communication with certain factions within Red Bull) who is the company's motor racing protege.

[Siffidiolla]

Yes, I think it was crystal clear that the team (especially the principals) favored Vettel. All this talk about Red Bull being sporting etc. - BS on that - they just did their dirty work internally and behind the scenes.... They never seemed to rally behind Webber when he was the clear favorite and I find it a bit curious that in the last race that Webber was so much slower than Vettel (more so than the rest of the year). Perhaps there is nothing to it and there is certainly no denying Vettel is a great driver who had a great year. However, I cannot help but think the German team favored the German driver in countless small ways behind the scenes if not overtly in the more traditional "team orders" sort of way (and I am not sure that is more sportsmanlike than overtly saying "pull over" and may even be more insidiously unfair to the driver on the short end of the stick.)....

Anyway, congrats to Red Bull and Vettel on a great season. Newey turned out an awesome car, the team did great work, both drivers performed well. All in all a great season and despite my feeling about the way the team operates - more power to them - they won fair and square.....

[DurryVony]

Had Mark Webber been crowned WDC yesterday I doubt we would have seen much, if anything, of Helmut Marko. As it was he was up there on the podium with Vettel. Why? Because Sebastian Vettel and this title is the end product of many years investment by Mateschitz managed by Marko

While the team may not favour a particular driver, the energy drink company that own them certainly do. They've got a return on their investment, they've shown their way works, and they've got some great publicity. A Mark Webber title would not have had quite the same effect.

It's funny, I remember a story from back when MW joined Red Bull in which, it was reported, he'd been asked to alter his helmet design to more fully relflect the corporate look. I don't know how true this was, or to what extent Mark complied (if he had to) but somehow it illustrated the Red Bull way; a way that has never fully fitted Mark Webber.

[AnriXuinriZ]

I cannot help but think the German team favored the German .....

German Team?

[AnriXuinriZ]

I cannot help but think the German team favored the German .....

German Team?

[Siffidiolla]

German Team?

I know the team is not based in Germany... Still my bad though, I was thinking Red Bull was German, didn't realize it was Austrian.... perhaps the nationalistic side of my argument is a bit off the mark.....

[mymnduccete]

I know the team is not based in Germany... Still my bad though, I was thinking Red Bull was German, didn't realize it was Austrian.... perhaps the nationalistic side of my argument is a bit off the mark.....

The notion of German-speaking and English-speaking factions within the team perhaps isn't.

[AnriXuinriZ]

The notion of German-speaking and English-speaking factions within the team perhaps isn't.

Yet both 'factions' won... or am I missing something

[anxpuna]

Oh, I think that Vettel is massively favoured within Red Bull, if not the whole of the RBR team or in terms of car spec. After all, one driver is a 30-something Australian and the other is a 20-something German (and thus German-speaking, an advantage in terms of communication with certain factions within Red Bull) who is the company's motor racing protege.

Absolutely.
Vettel was clearly favoured within the team. Having that jerk Marko on the podium was dissapointing to see

[space-on-s]

It's funny, I remember a story from back when MW joined Red Bull in which, it was reported, he'd been asked to alter his helmet design to more fully relflect the corporate look. I don't know how true this was, or to what extent Mark complied (if he had to) but somehow it illustrated the Red Bull way; a way that has never fully fitted Mark Webber.

The top of his lid changed from yellow/green to the Red Bull yellow at the behest of the team. But it looks better that way IMO.

You've done good Mark. Stick it to 'em next year!

[JulieSmithXIV]

You've done good Mark. Stick it to 'em next year!

That's going to be even more difficult, when your team-mate is the reigning world champion.

[SeftyJokipl]

Mark can´t depend on his own skills only next year, he needs luck, lots of it.

Seb is the fastest driver in F1, for now.

[Acrogeokickic]

lets not forget the new tyres for next year though.

Tyres have the potential to dramatically effect the way in which a formula one car needs to be driven.

It wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last time that a new tyre has come along and benefited one driver more then another.

Clutching at straws maybe, but it would be a bold man I think to say difinitively that Seb will still be the quicker driver next year with the new tyres looming on the horizon.

[xLQLRcXh]

Seb is the fastest driver in F1, for now.

No. He had the fastest car this season, he was not the fastest driver.

[Assauraarguck]

I was gunning for Webber to take the title but, even before the lights went out in Abu Dhabi, I knew he would have a task on his hands. However, I thought Alonso would take the spoils, not Vettel.

Regardless, there is no doubting that Mark has shown an ability behind the wheel that we've not seen in previous years. Saddening is that, seemingly, this rise in ability came so many years down the road in his F1 career, and looks to be approaching the far side of the crest fairly rapidly.

2011? With Vettel the reigning world champion, and a young talent who will only get better, it's going to be a tall order for Webber to beat him next year. Add to this the arguable preference the team have for Vettel [I stand by this belief myself] and it becomes an almost impossible task. If Webber wants to go for the championship again next year, many variables need to work. Not least: his comfort with the new tyres, the car itself and his relationship with the team and his team-mate. Over the off-season, Webber will need to work on his psyche in order to approach next season in a positive light. When questioned as to whether he would be fighting for the title next year by Lee McKenzie [I think], he replied "...yeah...", accompanied by a waft of nods and a voice of sheer disbelief in himself. If he can come in to 2011 with a fresh mentality, then I wouldn't rule him out of being in contention of next year's championship battle. Though I do believe it is his last chance realistically.

All that said, hats off to Webber for putting it up to Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel and staying well within reach of the title all year long. It's been an impressive, yet bitter-sweet, year for Webber but one that he should learn from. Let's see how he takes what he does from 2010 and applies it in 2011.

[GotActichwicy]

Many think that 2010 was perhaps Webber's last chance, but then again you never know... Before this season it was also thought that Vettel will comfortably beat Webber, but it didn't happen. Then again 2010 was quite an unusual season in Vettel-Webber battle as it has to be acknowledged that despite winning the WDC Vettel had quite a terrible season by his (at least expected) standards. Car failures from the lead and some daft mistakes. One could expect Vettel to have smoother seasons in the future, which would make Webber's task of matching him in terms of points accumulation ever more difficult. One could rightfully ask that if he couldn't beat Vettel even in 2010 despite all the troubles the German faced, when is he going to do it at all?

[sitescools]

A pretty good year, especially after thE WAY he started it. I have my doubts about RBR's fairness towards him in the final part of the season and if they would have wanted him to be the 2010 wdc he would have been but they didn´t. I'm sure that must a great feeling and a great hope for a better future in that team.

It's interesting too to see MW gets a congratulations thread after he finished worse then any of his rivals while FA gets slammed in a few dedicated threads and in any other one where is mentioned... the new satan of F1.