Mark Webber's most SPECTACULAR races!

A few years before he began making his name on the F1 stage, Mark Webber had already tasted high-profile success as part of Mercedes’ factory sportscar programme during the late 90’s. However, after coming close to the world title in 1998, Webber gained worldwide notoriety for all the wrong reasons in 1999 when he suffered a massive airborne accident at Le Mans… twice! The result of an unforeseen defect with the aerodynamics of the Mercedes CLR, which risked it lifting dramatically from the front when following another car, Webber crashed heavily both in practice and in warm-up, with the images of the smash making global news. Mercifully Webber was unhurt, but when the same thing happened to team-mate Peter Dumbreck in the race itself, an embarrassed Mercedes canned its sportscar programme altogether and left Webber out in the cold, forcing him to rebuild his single-seater career.

In what may have been considered a dream debut Mark Webber enjoyed a headline-grabbing start to his F1 racing career by finishing fifth in his home race at Melbourne for Minardi in 2002. Despite starting 18th on the grid the home favourite used some good fortune with a host of drivers being taken out in a turn one pile-up. Further issues for those ahead (including David Coulthard retiring from the lead with a broken gearbox) meant only eight drivers finished the race while Webber was made to sweat to hold on to fifth from a charging Mika Salo in the new Toyota. On debut and at his home race Webber was given his own podium celebration after the top three and handed Michael Schumacher’s winners' champagne.

After two seasons with Jaguar, Webber raced with Williams in 2005 and 2006, scoring a long awaited maiden podium in the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix. He very nearly repeated the feat the following year, albeit in the considerably less competitive – and woefully unreliable – Cosworth-powered FW28, only for one of several engine failures over the year to cruelly force him out of third place late on. A sorry end to what is still nonetheless considered one of Webber’s finest F1 drives in one of Williams’ worst machines, it would have been a welcome boost in a season that saw just three points’ finishes and 11 DNFs in 19 races.

Having demonstrated race-winning potential in the two races prior to Germany with two runner-up finishes, Webber claimed a maiden F1 race victory in emphatic fashion battling back from a drive-through penalty. Pole-sitter Webber clashed wheels with Barrichello into turn one which landed him a drive through but on the day none of his rivals could match his dominant pace as he worked his way up the field to win by over nine seconds from Sebastian Vettel, becoming the first Australian to win an F1 race in over thirty years.

Webber won 12 races during his time in F1 (all with Red Bull) but it was his victory in the 2010 Spanish Grand Prix that many identify as his most accomplished drive. Spectacular in the way it was so dominant, Webber qualified on pole position, hit the front at the first corner and led each of the ensuing 66 laps, winning by more than 24secs. His second career win at the time, Webber won again in Monaco two weeks later, sparking a run at the title that would only be dashed in a dramatic final round showdown with Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso

A spectacular – and thankful – measure of just how far safety standards have come in F1, the watching world nonetheless held its collective breath in the moments after Webber’s mammoth accident during the European Grand Prix in Valencia. Coming up behind the slower Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen at the end of the back straight, a misunderstanding over which line to take would see Webber instead strike the back of the Finn’s car, sending his Red Bull skywards. Lifting off from the front, Webber went airborne for some distance before coming down hard and skating into the barrier at force. Incredibly, Webber – and Kovalainen - walked away unhurt.

With Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel's inter-team rivalry bubbling away on the back of their controversial collision in Turkey, Webber stoked the fire further by becoming increasingly out-spoken about what he considered to be favouritism being levelled at his younger team-mate. Matters came to a head at British Grand Prix when team boss Christian Horner instructed the team to remove a newly-developed front-wing from Webber's car and give it to Vettel instead, prompting a remarkable outburst at Red Bull's management. Vettel took pole but Webber won the race, prompting him to utter now immortalised line 'Not bad for a Number 2 driver, eh?' over the team radio on the cool down lap...

With 13 pole positions to his name, Webber’s pace over a single lap couldn’t be denied… not that he didn’t have his ‘off’ days as demonstrated by his inability to get the 2011 Red Bull out of Q1 during the Chinese Grand Prix, with Sebastian Vettel making matters worse by placing the sister car on pole. Nevertheless, 18th on the grid just served to magnify his charging drive come race day as he scythed his way up to an unexpected third place, only two seconds behind Vettel on the road.

While Mark Webber may want to forget the 2011 season as a whole after it failed to reach the lofty peaks of his 2010 title bid, his performance – specifically one overtake – in that season’s Belgian Grand Prix has nevertheless earned its placed in F1 folklore. After all, overtaking an icon of Fernando Alonso’s status is one thing, but doing so at high-speed into the spectacular Eau Rouge corner is the stuff of legend… so much so, no return to Spa since is complete without a reminder of this short, sharp and swift beauty.

The race that will forever be remembered for ‘Multi-21’ with Sebastian Vettel casting himself against Mark Webber in another chapter of the turbulent partnership as Red Bull team-mates. Webber was leading the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix after his final pit stop, so Red Bull ordered its drivers to hold station to ensure a 1-2 finish for the team. Vettel had other ideas however as he launched an assault on the lead. The pair began a hairy battle for the win and after both cars went inches away from taking one another out on the pit straight Webber relented to see Vettel claim the win. Cue a tense and very awkward podium presentation.

Vettel and Webber’s tempestuous partnership at Red Bull boiled over in Turkey when the pair collided while on course for a one-two finish. With Webber looking to conserve fuel Vettel closed in on his Red Bull team-mate and went for a pass up the inside on the back straight. In a debatable incident Webber appeared to give his German team-mate a cars width of space before the two turned into one another and crashed, sending Vettel into a spin and out of the race with a right-rear puncture while Webber limped on to take third place. The fallout saw the two drivers blame one another with a crisis meeting called a Milton Keynes in the aftermath of the incident.

Webber wrapped up his F1 career at the end of the 2013 season and accepted an offer to join Porsche's burgeoning WEC and Le Mans project. After an encouraging maiden campaign in 2014, Porsche emerged as the team to beat in 2015 with Webber, along with team-mates Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard, winning three races ahead of the last round in Bahrain. Coming into the finale with a 12-point cushion over Audi’s Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer, the trio had looked on for an easy stroll to the title leading from pole position but after half an hour disaster struck when the Porsche squad was hit by throttle linkage issues. After more than eight minutes in the pits and title ambitions seemingly over Webber’s team returned to action in dead last only to courageously battle through the pack to fifth place and secure the world championship crown.