Whose fault was it?

I haven't really seen it but I do think Webber has emerged as somewhat of a dirty driver this year. He seems to have no problem with being extremely aggressive towards his peers and doesn't seem to care too much if he's behaving in a sportsmanlike manner. My .02 anyway.

Sato is also aggressive but he seems to be less "f-you I ain't letting you by" and more aggressive in terms of how hard he pushes and what sort of chances he takes. It can be frustrating to watch Sato but at least the guy is all heart and really really tries.

Between the two I think Webber displayed his usual "f-you you ain't getting by me" attitude except when you combine that with Sato's take-no-prisoners passing approach, it led to contact which put Webber off.

Webber likes to blame everyone for his off-track excursious but truth is as a racer you need to know your opponent. Some you can bully, some you can't. He tried to bully a guy who wouldn't back off and he paid the price. That's, what, the third time this year Webber has paid the price for making an aggressive move? Maybe in a few more years he will lean patience and if not, he probably won't last at a top team.

 

It looked like a race incident. It was turn one and everyone was battling for positions. I don't even think Webber noticed Sato untill it was too late. Sato could have done better to stay safe but then again it was SATO (do we really need another Sato debate).

Keep in mind that not noticing another racer is not an excuse. Webber is paid to keep the car in one piece and keep his eye on othere drivers.

 

Webber is not championship material. Heidfeld has proved that this year.

Sir Frank Williams sees a little bit of himself in Webber and so he is going to stick to Webber (atleast for a few more years). Next year will be funny to see Webber in the Williams Cosworth trying to keep pace with Minardi and maybe Midland JCB Jordan (if they even exist).

 

One thing that Webber still has going for him is that he is extremely fast. I've never noticed this erratic driving before this year so it makes me believe that he can still be fast *and* consistent. This is the first year in one a new team and the expectations are certainly higher at Williams than at Jaguar.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head here. Webber is fast, but seems to crack under pressure. Somehow, he does not seem confident in his abilities and therefore when he's in a leading position, he seems to defend it way too aggressively. I don't think such a driver can succeed in F1 for the long term.

I also think F1 team managers are a fickle bunch. You can be their golden boy today and a has-been tomorrow. The thing about Webber is I didn't see any particularly stellar driving from him that made him worthy of the hype. He had a couple of decent races in the Jag and outperformed his teammate at Minardi handily (but look who his team mate was - not that big of a deal IMO). He gained this reputation that I don't think many drivers could have lived up to.

Combine that with the fact that I think Heidfeld is better than many give him credit for and I think Webbers time in F1 may not be as long as some (or even he) think.

 

Simple solution - send Webber to NASCAR and replace him with Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart!!

Carol