The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : Korean GP just another car race, says Webber

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Korean GP just another car race, says Webber

YEONGAM (South Korea): Formula One world championship leader Mark Webber said on Thursday that he sees no reason to change his approach for the weekend's inaugural Korean Grand Prix at the new Yeongam circuit.

The 34-year-old Australian has a 14-point lead over Red Bull Racing teammate Sebastian Vettel of Germany and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso of Spain with three races remaining.

“In terms of doing well, this is another event, another race here,” he said, after arriving in Korea on Thursday for what he described as little more than “a car race”.

“I will keep doing what I am doing. The gap has been edging the right way in the last races and I need to keep doing that. I just need to keep doing my best, and if I do the best, the result will take care of itself,” Webber said.

Webber, who first led the championship in May after back-to-back wins in Spain and Monaco, reclaimed the lead in the title chase when Briton Lewis Hamilton crashed his McLaren on the first lap of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, a race where the Australian finished in sixth place.

Webber extended his lead to 11 points after finishing third in Singapore, and added to his advantage when he finished second to Vettel in Japan a fortnight ago.

Webber said consistency would be a key in the title run-in, but believed it was too early to predict how many more points he would need to become Australia's first world champion since Alan Jones in 1980.

“I know I need to finish races,” he said. “That is always in the front of your mind, but you're not going to give positions up either.”

Webber, Alonso, Vettel, and McLaren pair Hamilton and defending world champion Jenson Button remain in contention for the title with races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to follow Sunday's Grand Prix in Korea.

‘Track favours McLaren'

Meanwhile, Button praised the circuit, saying the layout should offer the overtaking opportunities that he needs to stay in title contention.

The 30-year-old Englishman is in fifth place — 31 points behind Webber — and is confident that the three long straights on the 5.6-km track will play to McLaren's strengths.

“They've designed the circuit well, and there's some good overtaking opportunities. It looks like the sort of circuit where we're going to put on a good show.

“I think the first sector looks good (for McLaren) — heavy braking, high speed and long straights.

“The middle sector probably suits the Red Bull more, and the third sector, I think we'll be quite equal with the Red Bulls through there.

“We have to wait and see, but it looks like a fun circuit,” said Button.

McLaren chief race engineer Phil Prew believes the South Korean track doesn't necessarily suit one front-running team over another.

“It's actually quite a neutral circuit, and there are aspects of it which will favour every one of the top teams,” Prew said.

“It just depends whether we can gain enough on the long straights and in the high-speed sectors to compensate for the strengths, perhaps, of the Red Bull in some of the flowing and long corners towards the end of the circuit.”

Button finished fourth in Japan a fortnight ago, and while he won two of the first four races of the season, he's managed just four podium finishes in 12 races since the end of April. “It's not the easiest position for me to be in, but we have three races to go, and there's still 75 points (available), so it's still possible,” said Button. — AFP

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