WEC / Le Mans – Mark Webber: “Success is not guaranteed just because it’s Porsche”

Still in the game F1, as proven by the seven podiums he has gleaned this season, Mark Webber will make his last GP start on Sunday. Next year, the 37-year-old Australian will compete in the World Championship.Endurance with Porsche, renouant avec une discipline dans laquelle il a sévi à la fin des années 90. S’il défendra les couleurs du constructeur ayant décroché le plus de victoires dans la Sarthe, avec 16 succès, l’actuel pensionnaire du Red Bull Racing sait cependant que les victoires ne seront pas aisées à aller chercher face à l’ogre Audi et une équipe Toyota Racing qui finit fort l’exercice 2013.

“It will not be a direct ramp to success, tempers Mark Webber in an interview with the official Formula 1 website. We are going to have to work hard. But it's a great brand, one of the most prolific and prestigious in the world. So it’s super exciting for me. And I still have work to finish at Le Mans. » And for good reason, the Australian came to Sarthe twice, but was never able to complete a single stint in the race. In 1998, his Mercedes gave up in the first hour. The following year, the loop he suffered during warm-up, two days after the one he suffered in qualifying on Thursday evening, forced the star firm to withdraw the car. " But I like Le Mans, even though I experienced hard times there, He continues. So I'm going there to do better in the future. We should never leave behind work that we feel we have not finished. I will meet people with whom I worked in Formula 1 and now work at Porsche (many people responsible for the Stuttgart firm's LM P1 project come from F1. Editor's note). And that gives me a lot of confidence. »

A car that has been running since June, an entourage that will not be completely unknown to him and teammates with extensive experience in the discipline, here is the great Mark armed with all the tools necessary to achieve one of his greatest big dreams, namely to add his name to the winners of the Sarthois double clock tower. But to the question: “Is winning Le Mans written in bold on your calendar? », the Queanbeyan native responds cautiously: “Maybe not right away, but in the future, yes. It's not going to happen like that, overnight. Success isn't guaranteed just because it's Porsche. We will have to work hard to achieve this goal. »

But first, Mark Webber will want to conclude his career in Formula 1 in style on Sunday in São Paulo. He will only take the wheel of the Porshe LM P1" in January. Before that I'm going to treat myself to a few days of vacation to detox from Formula 1 (laughs. Editor’s note)… ”