Breaking news
Formula 1
Only 'subtle details' troubling Vettel in 2014 - Webber
Mark Webber thinks "small, subtle details" are all that is holding back his former F1 colleagues Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen in 2014.
GMM
Edited: Sep 18, 2014, 2:25 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Both champions have struggled this year as F1 took the step into the radical turbo V6 era, with Webber's former teammate Vettel notably failing to match the impressive pace of his Red Bull successor Daniel Ricciardo.
Australian Webber, who stepped out of F1 at the end of last year and now races a prototype Porsche at Le Mans, joked that it is as though Vettel inherited his old car for the new era.
"Don't you think so?" he smiled to Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper. "It does seem as though all the difficulties happen in that one car."
It's not easy and then you start to dig the hole deeper and deeper for yourself.
Mark Webber
Webber and Vettel shared a tetchy relationship at Red Bull, but he declines to jump on the bandwagon of those who say 2014 has simply revealed the German's true colours.
Asked why he thinks Vettel is struggling, Webber answered: "It's impossible to say for sure, but almost certainly it is small, subtle details between the car and the driver.
"It is clear that Seb and Kimi have not got the feeling they need, while Daniel seems to be very comfortable with these new cars.
"At this level, the way F1 is, that's all about how a driver gets those last 2-3 crucial tenths out of the car.
"I think Seb and Kimi have two problems: a lack of feeling for the car and then not getting the setup they need. It's not easy and then you start to dig the hole deeper and deeper for yourself," said the 38-year-old.
Too much experience
Webber said he also thinks Raikkonen's vast experience in Formula One has actually contributed to his struggle in 2014 with the radically different, turbo V6 'power units'.
"When you've been driving at F1 level for 10, 12 years, it means you've driven V10, V8 and now V6. An experienced driver can almost have too much information and too much sense of what the cars used to be.
"Sometimes less experience is better when the rules change, and that does seem to be the case especially this season," he added.
"In fact, I feel that I left just at the right time," Webber smiled.
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 Drivers welcome FIA radio clampdown
Next article Formula One: Changing too much, too fast?
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
GMM
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Formula 1
Formula 1
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Formula 1
Formula 1
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Formula 1
Formula 1
Chinese GP
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
More from
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Barcelona-Catalunya GP
Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"
Lando Norris reunites with Daniel Ricciardo for Indy 500 celebrations after disastrous Canadian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Canadian GP
Lando Norris reunites with Daniel Ricciardo for Indy 500 celebrations after disastrous Canadian GP
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
Formula 1
Formula 1
Canadian GP
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
Latest news
FIA expects F1 races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to continue as planned
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
FIA expects F1 races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to continue as planned
TDS Racing doubles down on IMSA program with two-car LMP2 return
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 1 h
TDS Racing doubles down on IMSA program with two-car LMP2 return
Why Isack Hadjar doesn’t like F1 sprints anymore
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
1 h
Why Isack Hadjar doesn’t like F1 sprints anymore
Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen to race for JR Motorsports again in 2027
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Phoenix II
2 h
Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen to race for JR Motorsports again in 2027
Feature
Discover prime content
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