Overview

Often seen as the natural successor to Australian racing heroes such as Jack Brabham and Alan Jones, Mark Webber certainly holds the same no-nonsense attitude and sheer sporting enthusiasm. Often labelled the unluckiest man in F1, he is also considered one of the best drivers on today's grid, having been consistently quick since his debut a decade ago. However, unlike his predecessors, he is yet to secure a maiden world championship - despite driving for the most dominant team of the past two seasons. This year will be crucial to his future.

Born in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Webber idolised four times world champion Alain Prost as a child. He took up karting in 1991 at the relatively late age of 14, later winning the regional championship in 1993. This earned him rapid promotion to Australian Formula Ford in 1994, but the teenager could finish only fourteenth in his debut year. His second season in the series was much more successful, winning three races. He earned promotion to European Formula Ford the following year, finishing third in the overall standings - and runner-up in the British series the same season. His career continued to progress with a move to British F3 (in which he won a single race), before moving to the FIA GT series in 1999 and again coming in third in the final standings. His sportscar career was to be short-lived, as he combined a successful drive with European Arrows in F3000 with a test role with the same team in F1. He carried out the same role for Benetton in 2001, and finished runner-up in the F3000 series as he bade goodbye to the junior formulae.

Webber graduated to a full time Formula 1 drive in 2002, courtesy of fellow Australian Paul Stoddart, who had just assumed control of the uncompetitive Minardi team. Remarkably, Webber was able to benefit from an attritional season-opening Australian Grand Prix to secure a wildly popular fifth place at his home grand prix. This was to be his only appearance in the points, as the cash-strapped team returned to the rear of the grid for the remainder of the season. Nevertheless, Webber's impressive performances were rewarded with promotion to Jaguar. At times the young Aussie was genuinely competitive, qualifying as high as third for the Brazilian Grand Prix. There were no podiums, but his seventeen points were enough to see him finish in the top ten in the end of year standings. He remained with Jaguar in 2004, but the car lacked pace and the points tally fell to just seven. Understandably, Webber looked elsewhere - and found a berth with Williams in 2005.

Williams were a winning team, and the new partnership was expected to make waves. There were some notable moments, Webber scoring on ten occasions in 2005 and scoring a maiden podium at the Monaco Grand Prix. However, it was to the surprise of many that he was initially outpaced by underrated team-mate Nick Heidfeld. Neverhteless, he scored a career best 36 points to again finish in the top ten. However, the following year was to prove hugely disappointing, Williams' switch to Cosworth power yielding eleven retirements for the Australian. Just seven points were scored, relations soured between Webber and the team's management and he began to look elsewhere.

For 2007, he returned to Red Bull - the new owners of the former Jaguar team. His brief was to compete with thirteen times race winner David Coulthard, and he did so effectively, scoring the team's only podium of the season at the European Grand Prix. The following year he destroyed the Scotsman, scoring on nine occasions to the retiring Coulthard's two, and finishing eleventh in the title standings despite achieving no further podiums. The Briton retired at the end of the season.

The real turning point was 2009, a year in which the regulations changed considerably - and Red Bull's design guru Adrian Newey hauled the team into contention. However, Webber had been paired with sensational young German Sebastian Vettel, and it was the German who scored the team's first win at that year's Chinese Grand Prix. Vettel went on to take the title challenge to the penultimate round, but Webber took made a breakthrough: he took an emotional first win in Germany, and followed it up with another in Brazil. It gave him the confidence to compete strongly in 2010, leading the title battle for much of the season and scoring four fantastic wins. He would lose out to team-mate Vettel in the final round courtesy of a strategic blunder on the pitwall.

Last season was less happy for the Australian. Buoyed by his title success, Sebastian Vettel proved utterly unstoppable. Webber was simply unable to compete with his team-mate, and the German disappeared into the distance early into the season. Still, Webber continued to put in solid performances throughout the season and was rewarded with victory at the final round in Brazil, equalling his career best third in the final standings and helping Red Bull to a second consecutive constructors' title.

For 2012, Webber simply has to strike back. He is aware that elements of the team support Vettel in the inter-team rivalry, but he is also aware that when he is on form he can compete with the double world champion, particularly if he is given the equal equipment to do so. Given the fact that he is on a rolling contract which runs only to the end of the season, the Australian (who turns thirty five this year) must make use of the opportunity he has before it is too late.