Mark Webber finally wins an F1 race

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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

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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75 comments on “Mark Webber finally wins an F1 race”

  1. Congratulations to Mark Weber !
    Nice guys also finish first

    1. “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.

      1. “long line of dirty racing manoevres” ???

        this isn’t tiddlywinks

        1. It was close and it was tough but it was clean – I’ve seen a lot worse that didn’t get penalties.

          1. I’ve seen a lot less receive penalties!

      2. 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.

      3. Please watch IndyCar, boring parade, may be of more meaning to you…

      4. 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

        1. 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.

          1. 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.

  2. Which other current driver has driven more races and is yet to win? Quick Nick? Anyone else?

  3. So pleased for Mark. Was a much to good F1 driver to never win a race

    1. And what about poor Nick? :)

      1. Yeah Nick should be a GP winner and not Kubica. He should have won Canada 2008

      2. “Poor” being the operative word.
        IMO. ;)

  4. Great race by him, despite of drive-through penalty!!

  5. There should definitely be a caption competition for that picture. Sex face anyone?

    Good on you Mark, a well deserved victory

  6. 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!

    1. HounslowBusGarage
      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.

      1. 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.

    2. 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.

      1. Yes, it was Magny-Cours 2002. You’re absolutely right, JSC.

    3. 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?

      1. Using some slightly convoluted logic, Keith, how about Nico Rosberg in Singapore last year?

        I jest, of course…

  7. Tony Kalkman
    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.

  8. “This was also the last Grand Prix before I was born!”

    Probably the worse fact we’ve seen here :P jaja, kidding!

    1. Pardon my ego for throwing that in :-)

  9. Keith,

    Last person to win an F1 race with a drive-through penalty??

    1. oops just read the comments

  10. Terrence Phillip
    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!

    1. 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.

  11. 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’.

  12. Congratulation Mark Webber, this has been a long time coming.

  13. Liked the bit about the last race before you were born :)

    Incidentally the last Grand Prix before I was born was Imola ’94 :(

  14. Oh heck.
    Fangio & Gonzalez were racing when I was born & I know I’m not the oldest on here!

  15. 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 !!

    :):):):):):):)

  16. Nice piece Keith. It really puts into perspective Mark Webber’s achievement in that it is twenty eight years since an Australian last won an F1 race. How proud must Mark’s family and friends be now? Melbourne 2010 will certainly benefit in ticket sales if Webber can knock out a couple more P1’s before this season is over and the pervert is kicked out.
    In many ways, Mark Webber is a bit like Alan Jones. He is a tough cookie, very fast, and in typical Australian style speaks his minds openly.
    After quali three weeks ago, Webber was not so polite to Raikkonen after the Finn ‘apparently’ ruined his hot lap. Some drivers mince their words, but not Mark!
    I like that in a human being, and for modern day F1 it is refreshingly different. Years ago, when the great Alan Jones was approached by a rival if he was prepared to ‘bury the hatchet’, the Australian’s reply was instant and to the bone. ‘Yeah, I’ll bury the hatchet. In the back of his ****ing head!’ Like I said, refreshingly different.
    May the amber necture flow!

    1. like in fuji after vettel took himm out in 07 – “these kids come in and do such a great job and then **** it all up”

      1. Ahh yes, a classic Webber quote there Tom :)

  17. Good race, Glad to see Weber get a win (boy was he happy on the radio). I hate it wen FOX runs airs the Race instead of SPEED. Next to no prerace show and the same for the post race.

    1. yehhhhh, yehhhh, you f***ing beauty!!!!! yes, yes yes” to be exact (webber on the radio that is)

  18. Webber, you little ripper!!!

  19. What a terrific win by Webber. He had the measure of his team mate today, and the RBR has the measure of the rest of the field.

  20. PrisonerMonkeys
    13th July 2009, 0:15

    It’s great to see Webber win, but the Australian commentators are going to be insufferable …

    1. What, like the British are when Lewis or Jenson wins ;)

      1. a cute girl into f1 oh this year is the best :-)

    2. ..and the most insufferables of all commentators, the spanish!!!

  21. Great job Webber.I do think he deserves the penalty as he made quite an unnecessary move

    What do you think?Let me know

    1. I do agree, he did but he still took the penalty and still got the “w”. Best Car won even with a Penealty how many times can we say that.

    2. I think the penalty decision could have gone either way fairly.

      He neither impeded another car, nor damaged it.

      However, he did move off his line sharply and caused a collision.

      His explanation after the race seemed perfectly reasonable – Barichello was starting on the dirty side of the track, and Webber, unsighted, could easily have reasoned Barichello would have moved to the left for a cleaner run.

      He acknowledged the contact, took the penalty, moved on and dominated the race.

  22. well done mark webber , only slight niggle was how hamilton would have faired or how he might have altered the results if he had not had the first corner incident .
    webber was quick all day but ruebens race might have been different again had hamilton been in there but i don’t think lewis would have won .
    I’m enjoying this season a bit more now.

  23. Here I was thinking Jean Alesi was missing from that list, but he needed “only” 100-odd stats for his first victory. But then again, he went on to contest another 100 (201 in total) and still only had that one win.

    Here’s hoping this one won’t be Webbo’s last! :)

  24. Congratulations to Mark – thoroughly deserved the win..!!

    If Jenson doesn’t win the WDC then I hope it’s Mark…

    1. if mark doesn’t win, i hope it’s no one. go webber!!

  25. Great race by Webber and a thoroughly deserved victory.

  26. Does anyone know how many laps Webber did after he was informed that he had a drive through penalty? The rules state you must come in by your 3rd lap, I think Webber did more than 3 laps.

      1. yeh i recorded the race and double checked after reading your comment. it was within 3

  27. Fair play to Mark Webber,the whole race I was praying the gremlins didnt get him. As for mr Legards foot in mouth syndrome which could have set the Jinx thankfully that didnt materialise. Mark has proven he has the ability to take the Red Bull fight to Brawn and whether Jenson, Mark or Sebastian win the championship it will we well worth watching the rest of this season

    1. i laughed when jegard said ‘run over too many black cats’.

      1. of course i mean to say legard

  28. As an Aussie, I have never liked, nor will I like Mark Webber. He is your typical Aussie male and a throwback to the 70’s, bigotted, tall poppy syndrome and woe is me are Webber’s ethics. His racial slur against Lewis Hamilton last year in a society supposedly hell bent on stamping out racism was nothing short of apalling. It makes it OK to reckon a fellow professional gets preferential treatment because he is black….of course it does, you get another shot at winning a GP.
    Pr!ck

    1. I’m with karne on this one. You’re being a bit of a clown. Mark is known as one of F1’s sporting nice guys. You’re trippin.

      1. yeh, no idea what on earth you are on about lionheart. do you know what tall poppy syndrome is??? he is the first guy to congratulate fellow winners and the first to thank the team with success. least selfish driver out there i would say. he also said hamilton would kill someone with his driving style. another incident of the wonderful misleading media. much like global warming really…

  29. As an Aussie, I have never liked, nor will I like Lionheart. He is your typical Aussie male and a throwback to the 80’s, cutting down tall poppies and making generalisations is Lionheart’s way. His comment in regards to Webber’s supposed racial slur against Lewis Hamilton last year was nothing short of appalling.

    Sorry Lionheart, just a light hearted jest in response as I really cannot relate to your opinion on this!!

  30. Webber’move on Barichello at the start – deliberate. The stewards decision to penalize him – harsh.
    Overall, the German Grand Prix was quite interesting.

  31. I think that Webber should have been disqualified and called up on the carpet for his action. There was a time when F1 was a gentlemen’s sport but that obviously has changed. I now have reason to wonder after 50 years if I’m going to follow this ‘sport’ any longer.

    1. For goodness’ sake, he couldn’t see him! He had no idea Rubens was there! How the hell is that a disqualifiable offence?!

      And shall we mention that it was Rubens, who everyone seems to have victimized, that cost Mark any chance of a decent finish in Australia – and it wasn’t even investigated?

    2. you have seriously got to get off the drugs man , gentlemans sport lol, thats tennis dude, every driver out there hate losing if they didnt they would not be there get a grip on reality man

  32. Well I guess that you guys set me straight. For years I’ve been trying to understand why anyone would hold Senna and Schumacher in esteem and now I understand. Perhaps your new hero will give them a run for their rudeness. Given that Jim Clark remains my F1 hero I guess that F1 has passed me by so it’s time for me to move along. Enjoy the carnage my friends as Mr. Webber will surely succeed at killing someone one day given what I witnessed in this race.

    1. haha, yoou make me laugh. you should pursue a career in stand up comdedy. like carl baron, you could exaggerate observations. i see the talent already.

    2. Humility Reigns
      17th July 2009, 21:49

      Ollie, I for one agree with you entirely then again I try to be open-minded. Don’t get trapped into debating with arrogant and condescending colony youth that frequent this blog.

  33. Great deal- I’m most happy for Mark. Hopefully he’ll get a few more over the course of the season.

  34. Mark Webber is simply amazing.He won the race in style.This is his first race win in his long Formula 1 career with 133 races which started with Minardi in 2002. He is now a Grand Prix winner.For more details refer http://www.dailysportsnews.org/formula-1-mark-webber-takes-first-career-victory/

  35. I dont think many of you know webber well if you watch barachalos onbord camera these thing happen

    1. webber checks mirrors
    2. move over 1m
    3. checks mirrors again
    4. hit rubens and instantly backs off

    its quite clear this is a classic case of the car being in the blind spot

    even i am suprised somtimes when i check my mirros and then a car come out of no were. and this is a 70km/h on the road let alone a race track at 100+ kmph

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