Indian GP: Webber thinks he has winning strategy

On a weekend when the softer tyre is only lasting a few laps while the medium option shows great longevity, Webber is the highest-placed starter on the more durable Pirellis.

His polesitting Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel and the two Mercedes ahead all qualified on softs.

Webber is four places ahead of next-highest medium tyre starter Fernando Alonso.

Asked if he felt that gave him a shot at winning the race, Webber replied: "Yeah. It needs everything to go right. You have a chance to be in a good position at the end.

"But, you cannot really say how the race is going to unfold in terms of tactics. And how we saw [Romain] Grosjean in the middle of Suzuka, where did that come from? It only takes one guy to stop you winning.

"You don't know how clean a run you will have you come out of the pits, so that is a big factor in it.

"You would think that the guy on the harder tyre should have a cleaner first 20 laps in the race, but if he has a clean run back through then the [driver on the] option is still pretty good."

Webber admitted that the laptime deficit to Vettel was not all due to tyre choice.

"I would probably be a tenth and a half off Seb - so it was still a pretty good lap," he said.

"To be eight or nine tenths clear of some others guys on the prime was good, as I felt we weren't as competitive on the prime to be honest."