Webber: Hosting The First Race Is Excellent

Mark Webber claims that the Australian Grand Prix is one of the top three races on the calendar as he is appointed on the Australian Grand Prix Corporation Board.

His main role is to oversee the race in the streets of Melbourne and to help it remain as prestigious as it is. He believes that hosting the season opener is even more beneficial for the event. 

The 9 times F1 race winner said: “It’s definitely in the top three events of the year. It’s incredibly popular with the teams and all the drivers and journalists and all the photographers. 

“Yes, it’s the first race of the year, we are very fortunate to have that sot because there is a huge anticipation. The difference between the first race and the third race in terms of anticipation is ginormous. 

“There’s brilliant currency for us, the event is in tremendous shape. 

“I think (Melbourne) has been so well received for two decades now. I would see absolutely no reason whatsoever to tweak that. We love that slot and teams are probably looking in the future to have testing in the Middle East on the way out to Australia – they (drivers) just think it’s ingrained that Australia is the first race.”

“This year was a disaster in Europe in many ways, especially the first week, which was snowed off. That, obviously, brought the topic back on the table.

Mark thinks that the next step the sport needs to take is to inspire the next generation. 

“People love watching the heroes,” ventured Webber. “We want to watch the best drivers in the world and that’s why I watch the sport, that’s why my dad watched the sport. Ayrton Senna, (Juan Manuel) Fangio, Jackie Stewart, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel – people are fascinated with watching people do things that they can’t do and will be never able to do.”

“These guys are phenomenally talented people and that’s why everyone goes around the world to watch them. When you are there live, you see them doing 330km/h, you see the speed, you see the aggressiveness of the cars, which is great. You see the consequences.”

“You need a bit of gladiatorial component, you have to have some consequences every now and again. It is not lawn bowls. These guys are taking risks, that’s why we are watching it.”

“They are there to take high risk, they love risk … that’s what it is about, which society is against now but we don’t subscribe to that, obviously, on the race track because we want to take high risk.”