planetf1.com

Mark Webber may be on the verge of quitting F1 and will probably join Porsche when it returns to Endurance racing in the LMP 1 Class in 2014. (Pitpass.com) That not really shocking but it sure is sad. Would have loved to see him race in F1 a bit more.

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PF1 Pick 10
Aus13: 2nd
Chi13: 3rd

Well if thats true, enjoy his last season.

Endurance racing is getting some damn good drivers these days... anyone know if i can watch it online, or follow it in any way?

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"I aim to misbehave"

So Kamui has a contract for Ferrari in WEC? Kinda makes this bit a tad pointless..

He is going to be 37 next year.... He has had a good run... Time to move on, good luck to him.

actually he will be 37 this year which seems to be the traditional F1 driver retirement age.

I agree that it is gaining some traction in popularity and more top level drivers seem to be interested. Plus, manufacturers seem to show more interest in Endurance racing than F1. I like the spike in interest for Endurance racing, but it's still way too confusing for the casual fan to follow with the multiple series within WEC.

Not sure how it is in Europe, but ALMS has a great TV deal for 2013. All of the races can be streamed live via ESPN 3 or watch it live on either ESPN2 or ABC (http://www.alms.com/schedule). I'm super stoked for Grand Am to consolidate with ALMS.

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Kimi Raikkonen / Red Bull Racing / Lotus F1

I'd take 5 more years right now, I'm not expecting it though.

They've always had a pretty good roster of drivers.

WEC (World Endurance Championship) stream all their races, just go to their website, as does ALMS (America Le Mans Series), although now they've been bought by Grand-Am (NASCAR) that may well end when this coming season is complete.

He denied the rumors according to AutoSport's twitted feed.

I think the closest we get to tele coverage is Motors TV.. Which is usually god awful!

I'm hoping for the best with the merger, but my expectations are low because they seem to be leaning more toward the Grand-Am camp which is less compatible with Le Mans specs.

It almost had to be done though since they were splitting the audience to an extent.

Webber has always expressed interest in Porsches, and he has said he would like to race them when he retires. Having said that it depends on how this season will unfold as to whether or not he will retire, if he has a good season then I can see him continuing onto 2014.

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PF1 Pick 10 Competition
Best Round Result: 1st (Monaco 2012)
Podiums: 4
2013 Championship Standing: 78th

motors tv sky 413 in uk

but yeah as been said not the best coverage

Gosh there is a lot of sillyness in this thread.

There are no different series within the WEC. It is one FIA sanctioned World Championship. Sports car racing has ALWAYS been of interest to manufacturers - its actually at an all time low right now, they are not enjoying any spike in OEM interest.

Grand Am has not bought out the ALMS. The two will merge next year, and the future series retains top brass from both series and the ALMS governing body IMSA.

Sports car racing has its own "top drivers". F1 talent rarely go straight to the top in endurance racing - they have to come up through the ranks like everyone else before they become "top" in this sport.

Motors TV coverage of the WEC will be EXCELLENT as it picks up commentary from the Radio Le Mans crew which is widely accepted as THE authority on all things sports car/endurance racing and the most fan-friendly commentary team in motorsport. Follow a race with them and you'll be greatly disappointed the next time you watch a Grand Prix on either network.


And I said Mark would retire to Porsche the day they announced their LMP1 program, and nearly every one since He's a customer and a fan, the team has vacuumed up ex BMW F1 personnel including people he'd know from Williams, he has past experience in endurance racing, the 2014 ACO rules bring LMP1 cars quite close to F1 cars in both drivetrain and chassis design, Toyota has proven that an F1-style approach to aero development is key now, Mark has recently written about knowing when to quit, his time in F1 *seems* to be coming to a close, and he's been training at the Porsche Human Performance Center. Methinks its gonna happen.

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It's widely accepted its going to happen, the real question is when.

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PF1 Pick 10 Competition
Best Round Result: 1st (Monaco 2012)
Podiums: 4
2013 Championship Standing: 78th

Logically speaking, some time between the Brazilian GP and a likely Jan/Feb shakedown of the Porsche.

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So it as good as done... May be just a formal tell-all remains

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PF1 Pick 10
Aus13: 2nd
Chi13: 3rd

Mark leaving f1 is not something I'm looking forward to, but he will surely know when it's time and I'd rather see him retire gracefully than get asked to leave.

12th January last year he did say this on twitter when asked,

"Mark have you ever thought about getting back into LeMans/Daytona endurance racing again mate?”
MW - 1 day with porsches

So it's definitely something he's thought about

Indeed he did, he said it's when he was no longer able to compete - i.e. no time soon. As long as he's competitive, MW is staying in F1.

Hopefully a McLaren seat will open up for 2014, if not, then I believe he will finish his career with Ferrari. I don't see him at RBR in 2014.

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We want heroes, but there are few, mainly it's cars - Pedro De La Rosa

All the evidence linking him to Porsche is purely speculative and if any of you actually bothered to read the Pitpass story, you'd see that he'd denied it. Not that that means it isn't true of course, but it's far from a credible rumour. Quite a lot of UK-based drivers train at the Porsche Human Performance Centre incidentally, it certainly isn't just for ones linked to their team.

However, if it did come to fruition then I fail to see what's sad about it. He'd be leaving on his own accord whilst still competitive to do race something else he genuinely wants to do rather than hanging on too long and being forced within the next few years.

Whatever the case, it's still more likely than him going to McLaren. Seriously, let it go. Perez is on a multi year contract and even Heikki got more than one chance. And they are not going to sack Button for him. There's nothing to suggest they've even considered him since 2006.

Thanks Kate, I couldn't have said it better myself & think of all that typing time you just saved me

Actually Webber doesn't really deny it in that Pitpass interview. He just says it's inevitable that people will link him to things he may not end up doing and that he's focused completely on the 2013 F1 season.

He may well be playing it by ear and seeing how the season unfolds.

Everyone's definition of "no longer able to compete" is different, and I suspect Mark's bar is quite high.

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Sorry for not being specific enough.

By saying "bought by Grand-Am (NASCAR)" I was summarizing that " NASCAR, whom owns Grand-Am, has bought Panoz Motor Sports Group, which operates ALMS, and is going to merge ALMS and Grand-Am", my bad.

Well if he is going back to sports cars I hope he renews his pilots licence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXZaAuyuYmQ

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Get your facts right first, then you can distort them as you please. Mark Twain.

Well you know, he matched (or bettered, depending on interpretation) Vettel's one-lap quali pace last season. He's aware of that and has mentioned it a couple of times, so he knows he's still got it in there pace-wise and then some.

I think much will depend upon the 2014 seat offers. I'd be surprised if he spends another season with RBR after this one and if there is no Ferrari/McLaren offer forthcoming, he might pack it in.

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We want heroes, but there are few, mainly it's cars - Pedro De La Rosa

Indeed it is. And I would think Mark's definition is no longer able to compete for the WDC. He is driven to win just as much as the next driver, in which case I wouldn't be surprised to see him switch to another team in 2014. He probably (quite correctly) thought that he was signing for the team that was looking strongest for 2013, despite the fact that he was never going to get the backing that Seb did he felt that there was an outside chance of upsetting the apple cart...as a top driver would.

In 2014 though that could all change quite significantly. New regs and all start from square 1. I would love to see Mark in a Ferrari. If he wins a couple of races this year and proves to himself he still has it then I reckon he will challenge himself in the new turbo era. Turbos are different beasts...it will be a challenge for all drivers to show the same speed comparatively.

Senna and Prost did it. Rene Arnoux didn't...

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‘Ayrton had taken pole and now Alain said to me: “where the f*** did he find that time? How the hell can he be that quick?” In the corner, Senna…he looked up and winked at me. Ayrton had a look in his eye that said, “I’ve done it.”
Jo Ramírez

I think when all's said and done Webber is going to be well regarded for having beaten Vettel as often as he did. I was just looking up the F1 2008 season and Vettel versus Bourdais... sheesh!