F1: Webber Frustrated To Lose Out To Vettel

Formula 1

F1: Webber Frustrated To Lose Out To Vettel

Mark Webber finished a distant second behind teammate Sebastian Vettel in Korea...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted October 14, 2012 Yeongam (KOR)

Mark Webber (Right), pictured here with team boss Christian Horner, finished second to complete a 1-2 Red Bull sweep in Korea. (Photo: Getty Images)

Mark Webber admitted he had mixed emotions after finishing second to teammate Sebastian Vettel in Korea.

Webber started from pole but, after experiencing clutch issues off the line, was overtaken by the German on the first lap.

“It was just a very mediocre, let’s say, run to the first corner,” said Webber. “Seb got a good one. All wasn’t lost, obviously, second corner, getting the slipstream on the back straight I thought it was still possible to do something there. We were side-by-side, I had a tow but once I pulled out, I just hit a brick wall as well. And then everyone just coming up behind as well.

“Then after that, we had to manage the tires, really, go as quick as you could, looking after the tires, but also trying to keep some pressure on Sebastian. It’s the way it is these days: you’ve got to look after the black things on the corners, so that’s part of it.

“Second is a big difference to first. I have good points and champagne, but it’s not what I was after. But for the guys, it’s a great result for the team, and they’ve done a very good job in the last two weeks, and I’ve got to congratulate Sebastian on the win.”

Webber conceded that his championship chances are receding. He now lies 63 points behind Vettel, with only 100 available for four race wins.

“It's getting tricky now,” Webber said. “I obviously need some bizarre circumstances. It's clearly possible for me to win Grand Prix. You just need to get everything perfect, and today I didn't, and I paid the price. I can win some races before the year's out, but the gap is massive to these two guys [Vettel and Fernando Alonso]. That's the way it is. We have quite a few races, and all the points add up at the end of the year.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.

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