Formula 1
Australian GP: Webber arrives home a hero
Australia's new Formula One driver, Mark Webber, arrived home today to a hero's welcome along with his fellow Australian Paul Stoddart, owner of the Minardi team for which Webber will make his debut at the 2002 Foster's Australian Grand ...
Edited: Apr 15, 2002, 11:45 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Australia's new Formula One driver, Mark Webber, arrived home today to a hero's welcome along with his fellow Australian Paul Stoddart, owner of the Minardi team for which Webber will make his debut at the 2002 Foster's Australian Grand Prix.
Webber was "absolutely stoked" with the reception he got on arrival at Avalon Airport, south-west of Melbourne.
And for Stoddart it was "a dream come true" as he brought the team he bought little more than a year ago back to Melbourne, this time in one of his own jumbo jets from his European Aviation fleet.
Stoddart waved an Australian flag out an opening above the cockpit of the plane as it taxied to a standstill, to be greeted by Victorian Premier Steve Bracks and Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker. Eighty members of the Minardi team were on board, along with three cars ? the first of its new PS02 model that Webber's teammate, Malaysian Alex Yoong, will race in next weekend's Grand Prix, and two two-seater cars that will take selected passengers for rides around the Albert Park circuit on the first two days of the event next Thursday and Friday.
A surprise passenger on the flight was Jaguar F1 driver, and 1999 Australian Grand Prix winner Eddie Irvine, with his parents, Eddie Senior and Kathleen.
A horde of media, friends and relatives of Minardi team members including Melbourne model and the world's most downloaded woman, Sarah Jane - and representatives of the team's new Australian sponsor, Melbourne-based HealthyCo, met the flight.
Webber, Stoddart and Yoong as well as Sarah Jane obliged photographers and film crews for almost two hours.
Italian Jarno Trulli and Englishman Jenson Button, the drivers for French car maker Renault's team that previously raced as Benetton, also arrived in Melbourne today, as did new entrant Toyota's Scottish rookie Allan McNish. After a jog around the circuit in the morning, McNish drove a couple of gentle familiarisation laps of the circuit this afternoon in a Toyota Lexus road car.
Swiss team Sauber's Brazilian newcomer Felipe Massa is due in Melbourne tonight and McNish's Toyota teammate, Finnish veteran Mika Salo, tomorrow morning.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article SBRS: Barber alumnus update - Montoya season opener
Next article ATCC: Asian Formula 2000 alumni in the spotlight
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Felipe Massa
On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement
Formula 1
Formula 1
Italian GP
On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement
Defendant ordered to pay £250,000 legal fees in Felipe Massa F1 title case
Formula 1
Formula 1
Defendant ordered to pay £250,000 legal fees in Felipe Massa F1 title case
Felipe Massa’s F1 2008 lawsuit will proceed to trial
Formula 1
Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
Felipe Massa’s F1 2008 lawsuit will proceed to trial
More from
Sauber
Sebastian Vettel reveals why BMW didn't want him – but Red Bull did
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sebastian Vettel reveals why BMW didn't want him – but Red Bull did
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Formula 1
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Lewis Hamilton 'almost signed for Sauber' before F1 debut, says Peter Sauber
Formula 1
Formula 1
Barcelona-Catalunya Pre-Season Testing
Lewis Hamilton 'almost signed for Sauber' before F1 debut, says Peter Sauber
Latest news
Carson Hocevar and Cleetus McFarland win LeMullets 2026 in epic finish
General
Misc General 3 h
Carson Hocevar and Cleetus McFarland win LeMullets 2026 in epic finish
TV ratings released for NASCAR Cup season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
9 h
TV ratings released for NASCAR Cup season finale
Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Homestead
10 h
Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe