Following his win in Hungary however – and considering the strategy he picked up and the way he instrumented his race from beginning to end – his manager Briatore believes strongly that this could be the year of his client in F1.
“Watch out, Webber is on his way to win the title: what he has done in Hungary on Sunday was phenomenal. But I'm not tipping Webber just because he is one of my drivers, I only state what everyone has seen from home,” insisted Briatore in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Mark is a driver capable of exceptional feats. He has now reached a maturity and inner calmness that can take him really far. In Hungary he was the first one understanding that he could take a risk in running for three-quarter distance on the soft tires he had at the start. That was the winning move, but it also demonstrated how much he uses his brain, unlike many others.”
As reported to you a few weeks back, Briatore would very much fancy a world title in Webber's pocket, as this would ensure a better position in renegotiating the 33-year old's future contracts in Formula One, ergo a 20 percent higher commission for the Italian.
Also, his public cheering for Webber has another important role, which is to push for a No 1 status for the Australian within the Red Bull Racing team. The Austrian team avoided playing the leading vs lieutenant card in the 2010 season so far, which cost them some valuable points in the standings (Turkey) as well as tensed moments in the garage (Silverstone).
Webber has 10 points more than Vettel in the drivers' standings at the time being and, unless the situation changes dramatically until the late stages of the season, Webber would finally grab that No 1 status for the title. There are 7 rounds to go in the season however, with 5 drivers placed within 20 points for the title. Another Briatore favorite for the crown is also Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who is 5th overall, 20 points behind Webber.
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