Webber ready for Williams challenge

Mark Webber is currently concentrating on wringing out as many points as he can from the last five races of 2004 but is excited by to his move to Williams next year. By the time Williams officially announced Webber's signing in July it was already widely known the Australian would be moving on from Jaguar. Although he has admitted he was sorry to be leaving Jaguar, Webber is ready for a new challenge.

Mark Webber.

Photo by Brousseau Photo.

"I am really, really happy. To drive for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team next year is a big step for me and I am looking forward to this challenge," he said, according to the team website. "I am a big fan of how Frank Williams goes about the business, and it is a real race team where they have very clear ambitions. It's exciting,"

"I remember when I was doing Formula 3 and all the categories below Formula One, I always thought that WilliamsF1 would be a really nice team to drive for because they simply concentrate on the racing and not all the bullshit off the track. I am very excited by the fact that I am going to be working with these guys."

Williams has struggled this year, its competitiveness not at the anticipated level. In Hungary the team reverted to a conventional nose and front wing design after running the infamous 'walrus' nose previously in the season. The results were encouraging and Webber is confident that Williams will revert to its winning ways.

"Clearly they are underperforming compared to what they want to achieve," he said in regard to his future team. "But you have got to look beyond that and look at the people and the history that they have. You have to look at what has been achieved there."

Webber's teammate next year is expected to be Jenson Button. There situation with BAR, Button and Williams has yet to be officially resolved but Williams is confident that Button will drive for them. "We have succeeded in signing our preferred drivers," said BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen. "From 2005, Mark Webber and Jenson Button will be driving for us."