Webber says poor starts are partly down to him

2013 Brazilian Grand Prix

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Mark Webber says his spate of poor start in recent seasons is partly due to his technique of getting the car off the line.

The Red Bull driver has consistently been among the drivers who lose the most places on the opening lap of races for the last three years. He lost 22 places on lap one in 2011, 23 in 2012 and 22 again so far this year.

During the press conference for the Brazilian Grand Prix Webber said the reason for his slow starts was partly due to how the Red Bull is designed. “First of all we are not completely in a position like Ferrari with their clutches, we know they have a very, very good start system,” he said.

“So yeah the initial starts have not been, the initial part has not been always consistent and then I think my reaction to this inconsistent is not as good as it could be. So we you go for the second lever, when you go for the KERS, when you go for the slip control, especially on the Pirellis… with the Bridgestone you could slip the tyre a little bit more and you get no penalty. With the Pirellis you can slip the tyre a little bit and you lose time.”

Webber admitted team mate Sebastian Vettel’s starts were usually better than his but also weren’t among the best on the grid.

“I think that we’ve never seen Sebastian go through the row in front either, we are either holding position or losing, and Seb has got the starts just because I think he can manage some of the problems. But for me it has not, particularly in the last few years.

“The Bridgestone year we were fine, 2010 was actually pretty good. But in the last few years it has not been our strength and it has not been a strength of mine.”

“But I enjoy the starts,” he added. “I’m relaxed on the grid, I could sing a song to the guys, it not something which… When the lights are on, it’s a great part of the grand prix.”

2013 Brazilian Grand Prix

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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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18 comments on “Webber says poor starts are partly down to him”

  1. I think it’s pretty funny that Webber’s last race is losing some focus due to Vettel’s win streak. It’s like his last way to **** off Webber in what should have been a perfect weekend for him, especially since their championships are clinched.

  2. Reading this one thing stood out :
    There is something left that RBR have not yet mastered :O

    1. Haha, there’s still hope for 2014 :D

      1. Or, you could also say that there’s still room for RBR to improve even more for next year:)

    2. But it is probably due to a packaging advantage.

    3. One of the many down sides of F1 being so closed off that we don’t here more about things like this.

  3. Never mind, only one more standing start to go for Mark.

    Aren’t these start procedures getting too specialised, with all the levers and clutches. And a dedicated first gear next season. Maybe it’s time for some new regulations to simplify things.

    But at least it’s controlled by the driver, unlike the old launch control. I think Ferrari are flattered by starting so far back, and Seb doesn’t get to “go through the row in front” because there isn’t one…

  4. Why is this article so messed up?

    1. W (@yesyesyesandyesagain)
      21st November 2013, 18:20

      Yeah, either this is transcribed wrong, or Mark was drunk.

    2. Mark often speaks like this. :P

    3. ahaa yeah it was difficult to read

    4. All answers to questions at press conferences are first drafts, if you want a clear concise line of thought with good grammar you will have to wait for the press release.

  5. People speak in incomplete sentences. This is what a journalist has to work with and make make sense. So …

  6. At the best of times RBR launches are not as good as their rival one’s. I would guess that at least some of it down to their high riding rear end, its a compromise they take, its not something to master (though there most certainly are different factors as well).

  7. Errr lots of spelling mistakes. Does keith even check his articles?

    1. That’ll be the Australian spellings you’ve noticed… Keith just reports it as it’s spoken.

    2. Are we not capitalizing names now?

  8. I was watching the 2004 Malaysian GP the other day and I wasn’t surprised when I saw Mark have a terrible start. That made me laugh.

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