How Webber can get back on track

By:

Edd Straw

Mar 13, 2012, 11:59 AM

With Mark Webber confident he can put the disappointment of 2011 behind him this year, Edd Straw looks at the challenges the Australian must conquer to keep his Red Bull seat

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Rhetoric runs rampant during the Formula 1 off-season. It's a time where the absence of concrete performance data allows anyone and everyone to promise the world long before cold, hard failure kicks in. "This year is my year" can legitimately be uttered by most simply because, as of today, there are no winners and losers in 2012. Soon, some drivers and teams will come crashing back down to earth, their optimism and confidence crushed when cheap talk is revealed by stark reality to be the great imposter.

Which brings us to Mark Webber. His 2011 campaign, given the machinery at his disposal, was very disappointing, albeit not quite as bad as some made out. There were three pole positions and a fortunate win in Brazil, but beyond that he was little more than a solid points-accumulating back-up to Red Bull Racing team-mate Sebastian Vettel. It was a far cry from 2010, when Webber went into the Abu Dhabi finale in the thick of the title fight.