Webber Driven by Glimpse of Success

For a few laps last season, Mark Webber got a rare insight into what it feels like to be a Formula One race leader.

The Australian led for two laps of last year's US Grand Prix and the moment of glory whet the Jaguar driver's appetite for more of the same.

"I thoroughly enjoyed last year," he told a news conference on Thursday in the lead-up to Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix. "It was a building process but we've made some good progress over the winter."

Webber has emerged as one of the brightest new drivers in Formula One after just two seasons in the sport.

He finished fifth in his debut for Minardi at Melbourne's Albert Park circuit two years ago then finished 10th in the Drivers' Championship last season, collecting 17 of Jaguar's 18 points.

While Jaguar are unlikely to challenge the likes of Ferrari, Williams and McLaren this season, Webber was confident the new car will at least be more competitive than last year's.

"I'm very, very happy with the car," he said. "We didn't get the mileage we quite would have liked in the first four weeks but the guys worked very hard and the last few tests went very well.

"The vices that we had last year, we're trying to chip away at those areas - tyre management and chipping away at the aero and brakes. We're doing it in a very, very controlled manner and it's very disciplined testing. We are not kidding ourselves."

Webber said the new rules, which mean teams can use only one engine per driver over the entire weekend rather than use a fresh one for race day, would help the smaller teams. He predicted the season would be closer than ever with Jaguar ready to pounce if the bigger teams slipped up.

"I think the season this year will be phenomenally competitive," he said. "There's a lot of teams up there who are doing a very, very good job. The level in Formula One now is very impressive.

"Everybody is pushing very, very hard - not that they weren't in the past but at the moment it seems very compact at the front. If we can sometimes hang off the back of that it would be nice. We have full respect for our opposition and we want to try and get amongst it when we can."