Sounds to me like the team could do more to help him get the best from the Pirelli tyres. Seems obvious from my armchair they should try something different with Webber, shorter early stints or something, instead of just mirroring Vettel’s strategy. It was telling what Webber said after the Indian race, that he’s had the same problem all year of tyre wear towards the end of a stint. Jenson Button, who he was racing early on, sounded like he was aware of this issue, and just waiting for Mark to fall away.
Other drivers, notably Alguersuari and Sutil, have found ways to make the Pirellis work for them through the year, although that could be any combination of changes to driving style, car set-up and aero updates. I’d say Jaime needs another season of his current good form before he’s a threat to Webber’s seat in Red Bull Racing, so unless Hamilton has a bad start to next season…it helps Webber that there’s no obvious replacement for him.
In a way he’s in a similar position to Massa (although Vettel is right at the top of his game with the confidence of a champion, while Alonso must be forgetting how that felt) and while there must be way more pressure at Ferrari, Webber seems better equipped mentally to deal with it.
