Q & A with Mark Webber

Mark Webber: "Yes. It's amazing how tight that midfield group is in terms of the performance. We were on the front of it for so long, then dropped off the back of it and got fully exposed by some of the other teams with two cars getting big results - Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock (at Toyota) and obviously Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet (at Renault) have had some big points.

"Both David and I together haven't scored enough points. The scoreboard never lies, we are seventh and it's crucial that we stay ahead of Williams. If we can get Toro Rosso, great. But it's unlikely.

"Honda finished third or fourth in the constructors' a few years ago when they were consistently 1.5 seconds off the pace. Now they are about the same and they are nowhere. It goes to show how much tighter Formula 1 is now."

Q: For this weekend, is it just a question of trying to pick up a point or two?

MW: "To be honest, I'm looking for a bit of rain - it always gives us a chance of getting more than less. It's a bit like the old red or black - where do you put your money. With mixed racing conditions, we stand a chance of getting more than if it's a dry, boring grand prix in which we might nick one or two points if we are lucky.

"Unfortunately, it probably won't be enough to get us ahead of Toro Rosso, so we need a different sort of race to get the points thrown around to maybe help us in the constructors' championship."

Q: In a way are you glad that the season is over and you will have a clean sheet of paper?

MW: "Yes, I am. I was looking forward to the season continuing as we started throughout the middle phase and on the street circuits with the soft compound. Valencia was a tough race for us and we didn't get the performance out of the car at all.

"I still enjoy my driving, but it's hard when you are so far back. I've been happy with my driving all year. I feel that with the exception of qualifying at Fuji, where I didn't get the most out of it, and a few other places - the spin on the first lap at Silverstone - I've been happy."

Q: Which do you reckon was your best race?

MW: "Probably Monte Carlo, fourth in the rain, and in Barcelona. Bahrain also, we had big problems with the tyres and I had to nurse them."

Q: And the biggest disappointment?

MW: "Singapore, with the gearbox. Even though it wasn't a result we deserved. We didn't deserve to finish in that result, but we lost a lot of points with that one. I've never been a big fan of the safety car rule and the people on the podium should deserve to be on the podium but that was our biggest disappointment in terms of the points we could have got."

Q: Who is your best driver of the year?

MW: "Robert Kubica."

Q: How about Alonso?

MW: "Yes, Fernando is a world class driver, a phenomenal talent and he's up there. But Kubica has been so good and consistent."

Q: David Coulthard has said that Felipe Massa is the most improved driver of the year - what do you think?

MW: "Absolutely, he has. I remember when I was racing him in the Minardi and he was in the Sauber. He was doing quite a bit of damage back then but these days he's a lot more consistent and in with a chance of the championship for the first time in his career. It's a real credit to him."