Let me just round off the race weekend with a post on Mark Webber.
I think I was watching qualifying or something, and the British commentator mentioned something about whether Mark Webber “has run out of talent” or something to that effect.
I thought it was a brilliant way to put it.
Webber has always been one of my favourite drivers, right from his Minardi/Jaguar/Williams days.
I remember it seemed like after his Williams stint, he was destined for greatness by joining a big name team such as Renault…but he ended up joining Red Bull instead.
But anyway, until this year, his Red Bull stint didn’t amount to anything much.
It always seemed as if Mark Webber had the worst luck of any racing driver in the world.
It seemed as if he had the talent to win plenty of races…but somehow always seemed to find some stroke of bad luck along the way.
Most notable would be his unfortunate retirement while running third at Monaco in ’06, and his unfortunate wipe-out by Vettel while running second at Fuji in ’07.
This year Webber was finally given a car capable of challenging for race wins.
This was the year that he would finally prove all his naysayers wrong and start challenging for a world title.
However, as of now, he only has one victory to show for…whereas his young teammate Vettel has two.
Vettel also leads Webber in the championship.
So what gives?
Do we finally have to conclude that Mark Webber has, indeed, “run out of talent”?
I’m afraid so, in my opinion.
Sadly, I’m more inclined to put him in the David Coulthard category (i.e. capable of winning the odd race or two if the circumstances are right, but incapable of winning on a consistent basis even in a competitive car), than I am to put him in the Lewis Hamilton/Fernando Alonso category.
Not to say I don’t like the bloke.
I still think he is one of my favourite drivers on the grid.
However, I just don’t see him as world champion material…and I seriously don’t think he would ever come as close to challenging for a world title as he did this season.
I think you are quite spot-on on this one. I don’t think a driver can have a prolonged spell of bad luck if he’s a really good driver.
For example, if a car keeps breaking down, I would think there might be something in the way the guy handles it that shows an inability to get the car to perform optimally.
I thought Montoya was a pretty good driver but he also always seemed never to quite make the cut despite the raw talent. Something always seemed to happen to the car and I think he just pushed it a wee bit too hard every time.
“I don’t think a driver can have a prolonged spell of bad luck if he’s a really good driver.
For example, if a car keeps breaking down, I would think there might be something in the way the guy handles it that shows an inability to get the car to perform optimally.”
Totally agree! One can only use the “bad luck” excuse for so long. Sooner or later you’ve got to deliver results, by hook or by crook. It’s a tough sport and you really got to make your own luck in F1.
Yes, Montoya was brilliant at times and had plenty of raw talent, but ultimately, he didn’t have the consistency or temperament to succeed in F1, in my opinion.