Mark Webber

As early as 2015, he followed this up with the world championship title in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), which he fought hard for together with Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley in the Le Mans Prototype 919 Hybrid. 

Webber left his Australian hometown of Queanbeyan in New South Wales as a 19-year-old with the clear goal of expanding his racing career in England. He was one of many and one of those who had no sponsors. Only talent. He won the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, drove Formula 3 and Formula 3000, and got a place in the Mercedes sports car programme.

The highlight of the 1999 season was to be the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Car and team were considered favourites. But the aerodynamics were tricky, the Mercedes got under air and took off. Only in qualifying and then in warm-up Webber became a passenger. He survived two dramatic crash landings uninjured, but his career seemed to be over. The tide turned with a successful Formula 1 test drive for the then Benetton team, which resulted in an engagement as test and replacement driver for the 2001 season.

Webber's Formula 1 debut was significant: He finished fifth at his home race in Melbourne in 2002 - with an inferior Minardi. In 2005 he claimed his first podium finish with the then BMW WilliamsF1 Team. In the 131st Grand Prix, 2009 with Red Bull Racing, he achieved his first Formula 1 victory in Germany. In 2010 and 2012 he won the Monaco Grand Prix. After 15 years, an older and more experienced Webber returned to Sarthe in 2014.

The events of 1999 were far behind, but the big happy end at Le Mans was denied him: in 2014, the dream burst into second place two hours before the finish with a bang from the engine. In 2015, the 919, which he again shared with Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley, was leading in the first third of the race but was then thrown back by a time penalty. The trio fought their way to second place. In 2016 it was a water pump defect that prevented him and his team-mates from winning.

The biggest triumph with the LMP1 and Porsche came in November 2015 in a nerve-racking final in Bahrain. In the end, both throttle roller levers on the car were broken and temporarily locked at full throttle. The 919 was only on the road thanks to immense engineering efforts in the background and superhuman-looking driver sensitivity. It was all about the title. "Having won my first world championship in a Porsche together with Timo and Brendon means an awful lot to me," says Webber. He never talks about this success without mentioning his team-mates.

Mark Webber ended his active racing career at the end of 2016 and has been a Porsche brand ambassador ever since. "Porsche is the brand I have always loved the most, the one that suits me best. The 911 is an icon - elegance, performance and understatement at the same time, never intrusive. It's the right car for every occasion and in every situation."

Personal details

Date of Birth: August 27th 1976
Place of Birth: Queanbeyan (Australia)
Nationality: Australian
Residence: Buckinghamshire (Great Britain) and Monaco (Monte Carlo)
Hobbies: Sports in nature, Mountain biking, Helicopter flying
Homepage: www.markwebber.com
Instagram: @aussiegrit
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Twitter: @Aussiegrit