Mark Webber finally wins an F1 race
One hundred and thirty starts and a finally a winner
It’s been a long wait, but today Mark Webber finally became a Grand Prix winner.
Webber has ended the longest ever wait for a Grand Prix driver to score his first win, finally breaking his duck after 130 attempts (plus two non-starts).
The previous record holder was Rubens Barrichello, who took 124 attempts to lodge his first win. That was also in Germany – at the Hockenheimring – in 2000.
The four other drivers who took more than 100 starts to score their maiden wins are all racing in F1 today:
Rubens Barrichello – 124 (2000 German Grand Prix)
Jarno Trulli – 117 (2004 Monaco Grand Prix)
Jenson Button – 113 (2006 Hungarian Grand Prix)
Giancarlo Fisichella – 110 (2003 Brazilian Grand Prix)
Webber is the first Australian to win a Grand Prix since Alan Jones won the 1981 United States Grand Prix at Las Vegas for Williams. (This was also the last Grand Prix before I was born!)
That was supposed to be Jones’s final appearance in an F1 car, but he made two subsequent (unsuccessful) comebacks with Arrows in 1983 and Lola, in 1985-6.
Earlier this year Webber became the Australian driver to have started the most races, surpassing Sir Jack Brabham’s record of 126 starts. Brabham won the 1959, 1960 and 1966 world championships, and 14 Grands Prix.
Between them, these three drivers account for all of Australia’s 27 Grand Prix wins. They are tenth in the all-time list of most victorious Grand Prix nations, behind the United States, with 33.
Webber’s last major win was in F3000 in the French round at Magny-Cours in 2001. Also racing that day were future F1 drivers Justin Wilson (third), Enrique Bernoldi (fourth), Franck Montagny (seventh), Sebastien Bourdais (tenth), Tomas Enge (13th), Stephane Sarrazin (19th) and Christijan Albers (DNF).
Read more: Mark Webber biography
Bartholomew said on 12th July 2009, 17:24
Congratulations to Mark Weber !
Nice guys also finish first
Dave M said on 12th July 2009, 18:02
“Nice guy”?! His chop at the start is just the latest in a long line of dirty racing manoeuvres from him, if their wheels had touched there would have been a very serious accident.
Nik said on 12th July 2009, 18:23
“long line of dirty racing manoevres” ???
this isn’t tiddlywinks
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) said on 12th July 2009, 19:08
It was close and it was tough but it was clean – I’ve seen a lot worse that didn’t get penalties.
neracer said on 13th July 2009, 12:58
I’ve seen a lot less receive penalties!
MartyP said on 13th July 2009, 10:22
I agree that Webber’s move on Rubens at the start was unnecessarily aggressive, but I can’t think of any other examples where he has driven like that. Did you have any particular incidents in mind DaveM? I know that Webber had an altercation with Alonso at Bahrain in 04, but I think that was more of a misunderstanding than unfair driving.
I’ve certainly never thought of Webber as a ‘dirty’ driver but I’m interested to know what others think.
Arun Srini said on 13th July 2009, 11:13
Please watch IndyCar, boring parade, may be of more meaning to you…
Tom said on 13th July 2009, 14:17
i think it is the first penalty i have ever seen handed to him. no idea what you’re on about. probably the cleanest driver out there
Andy said on 13th July 2009, 14:31
I thought Webber was a bit aggressive, but it pales in comparison to the old ‘Schumi Chop’.
I don’t think he should have been penalised. After all (as others have already mentioned) we’ve seen worse. However, seeing as Mark put in a stunning drive, his punishment was ultimately irrelevant and all the victory sweeter.
Macca said on 17th July 2009, 6:41
if you want to know if it was unfair or not just ask other drivers. Noone hade a problem with it so there should never have been a penalty.
Well done Webber, you deserve it mate, now go on and win the championship.
Indranil Dudhane said on 12th July 2009, 17:35
Which other current driver has driven more races and is yet to win? Quick Nick? Anyone else?
TommyB said on 12th July 2009, 17:36
So pleased for Mark. Was a much to good F1 driver to never win a race
Sergiy Sh said on 12th July 2009, 18:46
And what about poor Nick? :)
Vetalonton said on 12th July 2009, 19:19
Yeah Nick should be a GP winner and not Kubica. He should have won Canada 2008
LewisC said on 14th July 2009, 12:52
“Poor” being the operative word.
IMO. ;)
Ninad said on 12th July 2009, 17:46
Great race by him, despite of drive-through penalty!!
Sam said on 12th July 2009, 17:48
There should definitely be a caption competition for that picture. Sex face anyone?
Good on you Mark, a well deserved victory
Daniel said on 12th July 2009, 18:08
And now another question for your future facts and stats article: when was the last time a driver won a race, despite having a drive through penalty? I honestly don’t remeber if this have ever happened before…
I think Mark Webber deserved to win and I’m glad to see that no one will ever question his victory, because he received a fair punishment on track and had the merit (and the pace) to recover the seconds lost in the driver through… all laurels to him!
HounslowBusGarage said on 12th July 2009, 18:39
Wouldn’t that have been Schumacher when he won the British GP in 199-whenever? He had been goiven a drive through for something and served it at the end of the race . . . Never fully understood it, or how he wasn’t disqualified.
persempre said on 12th July 2009, 18:57
That Silverstone 1998 & a stop-go, I think, Hounslow.
Because the penalty wasn’t given until 3 laps from the end Schumacher served it at the end of the race. Entirely within the regs as the finish line extends across both the track & the pitlane. You don’t have to be on track to cross the line in first place.
I think you are right that he did also win after serving a drive-through penalty but can’t remember when, sorry.
JSC said on 12th July 2009, 18:55
Michael Schumacher won the Canadian Grand Prix in 1998 after taking a 10 second stop/go (not a simple drive-through) penalty for swerving across Frentzen and bundling him off the track as the Ferrari exited the pits.
I think Schumacher also won in spite of a drive-through penalty for crossing the white line on the pit exit at France in 2002, when he took his fifth title.
persempre said on 12th July 2009, 19:10
Yes, it was Magny-Cours 2002. You’re absolutely right, JSC.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) said on 12th July 2009, 19:12
We had this discussion on the live blog and came up with the answer of Schumacher at Magny-Cours in 2002. Any advances on that?
SiY said on 17th September 2009, 9:29
Using some slightly convoluted logic, Keith, how about Nico Rosberg in Singapore last year?
I jest, of course…
Tony Kalkman said on 12th July 2009, 18:50
I am a biased Aussie, and also i have to say very very happy. Mark won the race in the 3 laps before he did his drive through, he got enough of a lead over Kovalinen and stayed in contact with Barrichello through his first stop.
Fer no.65 said on 12th July 2009, 19:00
Probably the worse fact we’ve seen here :P jaja, kidding!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) said on 12th July 2009, 19:13
Pardon my ego for throwing that in :-)
TommyB said on 12th July 2009, 19:25
Keith,
Last person to win an F1 race with a drive-through penalty??
TommyB said on 12th July 2009, 19:31
oops just read the comments
Terrence Phillip said on 12th July 2009, 20:10
This is an ultra nerdy comment, but Bernoldi was driving for Arrows in 2001- does that mean he was driving in F1 and F3000 at the same time?
And one other thing- how come some people have little pictures beside their name and comments? I want one too!
Tom L said on 13th July 2009, 13:18
The results posted by Keith are actually from the 2000 Silverstone round, which Webber won, and when Bernoldi was still in the F3000 field. In the Magny-Cours round of 2001, Webber’s last major win before yesterday, the following future F1 drivers were in the field: Mark Webber 1st, Justin Wilson 2nd, Tomas Enge 3rd, Patrick Friesacher 4th, Sebastien Bourdais 6th, Giorgio Pantano 8th, Antonio Pizzonia 10th, and Zsolt Baumgartner DNF.
F1Fan said on 12th July 2009, 21:02
This RBR car is simply awesome. I am sensing that they will dominate the 2nd half of the season and we will have a great championship battle once again. Webber did the only thing he could, to try and screw up his chances of a win – yet again, but fortunately for him the car is simply extraordinarily fast. Brawn also gifted him quite a few seconds thanks to Rubens’s rig ‘mistake’.
James H said on 12th July 2009, 22:06
Congratulation Mark Webber, this has been a long time coming.
Zazeems said on 12th July 2009, 22:07
Liked the bit about the last race before you were born :)
Incidentally the last Grand Prix before I was born was Imola ’94 :(
persempre said on 12th July 2009, 22:16
Oh heck.
Fangio & Gonzalez were racing when I was born & I know I’m not the oldest on here!
Pink Peril said on 12th July 2009, 22:19
Australians all let us rejoice
for Webber won the Grand Prix
with driving on the boil
and lots of toil
our home is cheering with glee
Our land abounds with Santanders gifts
of beauty, rich and rare
in historys page, of every stage
Advance Australia Fair
In joyful strains then let us sing
for Webber won the grand prix !!
:):):):):):):)