Here's hoping: interview with Mark Webber

As the new cars undertake their last serious tests before Bahrain, the truth is gradually dawning on team insiders. Everyone already knows pretty much where they'll be come the start of the season, even if the rest of us haven't yet seen the full picture, because we don't know what sort of test programmes people have been running, or what developments they still have up their sleeves.

For many drivers there will already be a sense of disappointment as they realise that the package isn't where it was supposed to be, that the big step they were promised hasn't really happened. Others are walking around with a smile on their face, aware that they are better off than they dared hope.

The latter category has to include Mark Webber. The Australian is a lot more optimistic now than at the end of last season, when he had every right to be a little nervous about his future. After all, Jenson Button thought he knew which way the wind was blowing, and had opted out of his Williams deal. Sir Frank was losing his title sponsor and the BMW engine deal, and was going to have to pay for his engines. To top it all the team was committed to what at the time seemed like a misguided move to Bridgestone.

All those factors and more suggested that the Williams team Webber would be driving for in 2006 was not the one he'd originally signed up for.

"No, you're probably right," he said last year. "We still have some sponsors, but not a big hitting one like HP. Financially it will probably be different from '05 and before. But '06 will be a bit of a watershed, so we'll see how we go. Sometimes a leaner army might be a little better, not in terms of people, but in terms of not being blase with certain things."

He had every right to be worried, but publicly at least, he was prepared to consider that the glass was half full, not half empty. That sort of approach endears you to a team that's going through hard times.

Mark Webber testing the Williams-Cosworth F28 at Valencia © XPB/LAT

"We have to have a good start," he continued. "It's unrealistic and tough on Cosworth to say you have to stay toe to toe with Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault for 12 months. In the end they have to be slightly more conservative in terms of design. They can't lunch engines like they're going out of fashion, like Honda.

"When you have to build in those tolerances from the outset, knowing that you haven't got the luxury of starting from a clean sheet, it will be a conservative mindset from the start. But that could be one of the strengths of our package in 2006."

It's early days, but Webber's his faith seems to have been repaid. Mercedes is probably not the only manufacturer that wishes that it was on a par with Cosworth, and the decision to go with Bridgestone now looks inspired. While no one can predict how the tyre war will pan out over the season, the Japanese company is obviously much better off with race changes than without. The FW28 has looked very strong in testing, and the aero weaknesses of its predecessor appear to have been addressed.

With expectations dampened by the team's new paying customer status, the only way is up. Webber has a real chance to show that he can get the job done, and be a leader. This is certainly an important year for him for, like many others, he is out of contract at the end of the season.

"Every year is always important in F1," he says now. "The first year I was at Jaguar was the first time I was into a serious operation. I thoroughly enjoyed that, and it worked well. The second year was 2004, and on the back of that I moved to Williams. Last year was a tough season for the whole team, including myself.

"In this game it can change week to week. It's very, very fickle. I believe my performances at the end of the year, in those five races or whatever they were, were what I'm about. I can race with the best guys, and I can carry that on. I want to be at Williams for the long term, and we've got unfinished business here."

The 2005 season was a dramatic one for Webber, one way or another. He was often supreme in qualifying - fuel corrected, he and not Nick Heidfeld was in effect on pole at the Nurburgring - but races didn't always go his way. He got caught up with other cars on several occasions, and while it wasn't always his fault, the impression he gave at times was one of desperation. But later in the year, when the FW27 package was more settled, he put in some great performances, notably at Spa and Suzuka. Overall, it was an education.

Nico Rosberg, Frank Williams and Mark Webber at the FW28 launch © XPB/LAT

"A bit of adversity and a kick in the guts every now and again is something you learn from. If you have a monopoly in any business, or you're doing a lot of winning, sometimes you don't learn that much. I learned a lot about myself, how to deal with people under pressure inside our own team, and how to get the most out of the whole situation. The last part of the season was easier, we had a lot more aero upgrades. But still, you see some races like Silverstone, where I drove flat out for 12th place..."

As Webber predicted, Cosworth has done a good initial job with its V8. He knows the people well from his Jaguar days, and while it didn't always go to plan back then, the company is under new ownership, and that is no bad thing.

"When I was at Cosworth before, it was a very different operation with Jaguar and Ford involved, in terms of how all that worked. The problems that we had in that era, in the early 2000s, they've now realised their weaknesses from those times.

"We had a lot of reliability problems with the V10, but look at their reliability last year - it was probably the best in the field, and in a tough situation. Two races they had to do, and at the end of the V10's life in terms of that regulation. If there was ever going to be a time when Cosworth would be exposed, it would be at the end of that programme, because all the resources were stretched to maximum, but they still did a phenomenal job. That's why they're very, very good when it comes to something new.

"They've made a beautiful little engine for us, and the guys at Northampton have always been solid in the build-up to this season. I don't want to say we can punch above our weight, because we're Williams, we always expect things, but now we're a little bit of an independent operation. We're in for a solid year, I hope."

Frank Williams and Patrick Head have made a lot of the synergy between the team and the engine supplier, although that's not the sort of word they would use. In plain English, both companies are about seeking engineering solutions and getting the job done. Both groups are also very motivated to show that their previous partners shouldn't have looked elsewhere.

"The staff are always important to any team," Webber continues. "It's about the momentum and confidence of the whole factory, when you've got both factories working flat out, you've got all the sponsors involved in the team. The way the season should start could roll into the middle of the year and have nice repercussions as the season goes on. If you have a rough start then you're always a little bit on the back foot. So a nice start would be good."

Last year, Mark had a tough time with his teammate Nick Heidfeld, who got the upper hand in terms of race results until he was sidelined. Webber now got a feisty young partner in Nico Rosberg, and it's going to be fascinating to see how they compare.

Nick Heidfeld & Mark Webber in the 2005 San Marino GP © XPB/LAT

"Obviously Nick didn't push me that hard in qualifying, but in the races he was pretty good. I still felt that it was one of his stronger years and for lots of reasons wasn't one of mine. I feel that I could have had him covered, but he's someone I definitely respect.

"Nico will probably be on a level where he'll be pushing me, for sure. That's why the team have employed him, otherwise they would probably have gone with someone else. But they think we can make the most points for the team. I worked with him in testing last year. He's very, very professional beyond his years, doing a good job, and he's a great signing for the team.

"Of course it's a shame that Jenson didn't come, that would have been good for the team, and a good challenge. But at the end of the day we've got someone who's very talented and can do the job as well. He knows all the tracks from GP2, he's only got a few he doesn't know. We won't know until we go racing, but he's quick, he's solid, he's ready to go, he can have a good career in F1."

One of Webber's consistent strengths last year was his pace over one lap. It will be interesting to see how he fares under the new qualifying system, because it allows everyone to build to a final effort, and that will perhaps help him less than others. Webber, in any event, is not a big fan of the new format.

"I think it's a bit of a long-winded way to get the cars lined up on the grid. I was never a big fan of the one-lap thing when it was first announced, I thought I'm not going to like that at all, but it turned out I was OK at it. I think all the guys wanted that comfort of having a few more laps, but I've also got that now as well. Hopefully it will still pan out. Qualifying is good, but the races are more exciting!

"Maybe other guys are more sensitive to having more laps than I am. We will see. The qualifying is still not like the old one; it's still not going to build up, because you have different conditions across the sessions, in terms of fuel loads. We'll see."

As noted, the return to tyre changes can only help Bridgestone, even if that's not yet been made apparent in testing. Did the FIA decision come as a bonus?

"A good question, and a good bonus! Clearly Michelin were incredibly strong under last year's regulations, with no tyre changes in the race, and Bridgestone were really struggling. Now we're going back to '04. I don't think that's all the answer for them to be competitive, they've still got some work to do.

"But I'm also a fan of that sort of racing. It was something that took a while for me to get my head round, pacing against the tyres and things like that. I'm interested in doing the whole race as a sprint, so it's back to the good old days of '04, which is great."

Mark Webber with Bridgestone technicians at Jerez last month © XPB/LAT

As one of the drivers making the switch, he's well placed to compare the two companies.

"Both tyres have got their strengths and weaknesses. There's a totally different philosophy on how to build a tyre to do a different type of job, I would say. The Michelin was more complete over longer runs in terms of the degradation fall, but now that's all changed again. Bridgestone's philosophy will change quite a lot in the future, I think."

Mark's own future remains in question. He may well extend his deal with Williams, while some have suggested that as a Flavio Briatore protege he could end up at Renault, although that depends on what the boss's plans are for Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen. The irony is that at one stage he could have been at Renault last season, and thus at the wheel of the World Championship winning car.

"You can't look back with regrets," he says today, "you want to try and keep that to a minimum. Renault had a phenomenal year last year, and we didn't. The way the future goes in this game, you just never, never know, what's happening with McLaren and Renault and Toyota and Williams. It's a very hard game to predict. I'm just thinking about Bahrain at the moment!"