Formula One future predicted for Webber

Webber took victory in the Silverstone F3000 race after a stunning dice with Darren Manning this afternoon, moving to the head of the standings after only his second ever race in the category.

The Australian, best known before this season for his Mercedes GT exploits, has already tested for the Arrows Grand Prix team and Stoddart is convinced that Webber will soon be a permanent part of the F1 elite.

'Today we have seen the next Australian F1 star practising!' Stoddart enthused after watching Webber narrowly fend off Manning, who he had passed for the lead with a spectacular move at Club.

Webber had driven around the outside of Manning's Arden car on the way into the tight left-hander at Vale, but Manning fought back and tried to squeeze his rival into submission as they accelerated out of Club. Webber refused to be intimidated off the road and held his ground, the two cars touching repeatedly and Manning being pushed into a half-spin. Both continued with minor damage to finish one-two.

'It looked like an awesome move and I'm just so proud,' Stoddart continued. 'Mark just drove his heart out today in dismal conditions.'

Webber admitted that he nearly threw the victory away by relaxing too much in the closing stages and allowing Manning to narrow the gap to under a second again during the final laps of the race.

'I probably got a bit too excited about seeing the chequered flag and became a touch complacent,' he admitted.

'I thought I had it in the bag with ten laps to go, but I put my head down and made sure I had the race under control.

'It's great being the first Australian to win a Formula 3000 race and it's a huge surprise that I'm leading the championship after only two starts.'

The last Australian to try and break into F3000 was V8 Supercar megastar Craig Lowndes, who raced as Juan Montoya's team-mate with RSM Marko during 1997. Lowndes showed flashes of promise, especially on the low-downforce tracks, but was overshadowed within the team by Montoya and suffered as a result, calling time on his single-seater career at the end of the season.

For a full report on the Formula 3000 race, see separate story.