F1: Webber Upbeat After Qualifying Second

Formula 1

F1: Webber Upbeat After Qualifying Second

Red Bull Racing's Australian driver Mark Webber had a very strong qualifying session in Abu Dhabi...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted November 03, 2012 Abu Dhabi (ARE)

Red Bull Racing's Australian driver Mark Webber drives during the qualifying session at the Yas Marina circuit on November 3, 2012 in Abu Dhabi ahead of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix. (Photo: Getty Images)

Mark Webber overcame a lack of track time after problems on Friday to beat team mate Sebastian Vettel to second in qualifying in Abu Dhabi.

Webber said he was happy with the way the session had unfolded, and he played down the handicap of the KERS problems he suffered on Friday.

“Obviously we have a huge amount of historical data, this year and also at this venue and Seb did some work,” said the Aussie. “I did one lap, so I’ve got a little bit to look at. But it should be OK, the Friday’s running is never a bible anyway, it’s just a good reference. So we’re in pretty good shape in terms of data going into the race.

“So obviously we’ll have a bit of a look through in the morning to see how we’re going to prepare. But yeah, we realised we’ve got to work on our reliability. We’ve had a few issues of late and that’s something the group is on. There’s nothing Sebastian and I can do about it. It’s not our job, it’s their job and they know they’ve got to improve.

He said he was optimistic about the chances of getting ahead of Hamilton at the start.

“You never know. Lewis’ starts lately haven’t been phenomenal so let’s see if he has a good one tomorrow. Generally it’s down to how the clutch is and things like that – it’s not really down to Lewis. We’ll see how they go off the line but I’m looking to go forward, for sure. Then we’ll get settled into the race and see where everyone is after that.”

Asked about helping Vettel and what his own plan might be, he grinned: “Drive flat out.”

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.