Webber leaving F1 for Porsche at the end of 2013

[The Black Knight]

Just heard Mark Webber has signed a deal with Porsche to bring to a close his 12 year career in F1. I guess his position was untenable in RBR given what happened earlier in the year and that Sebastien is the Golden boy over there.

I, for one, wish Webber luck in his new venture. I've always appreciated his straight talking and honesty. There aren't many drivers out there nowadays who are willing to say it like it is.

[christophulus]

Webber confirms F1 exit to join Porsche WEC team - F1 Fanatic

The rumours were true then, this cropped up after one of the GPs early this season and was swiftly denied (no surprise there).

So who will replace him? Raikkonen? Or one of the Toro Rosso drivers?

[ShiftingGears]

Looking forward to watching more of the WEC next year, I hope it brings him and Porsche great success

[Jag_Warrior]

I wish Webber the very best of luck. It's just too bad that Jaguar doesn't have a sports car team now, so he could (re)join that marque.

Raikkonen to Red Bull? Hmm... Karma might be getting set to pay young Sebastian a visit.

[The Black Knight]

I wish Webber the very best of luck. It's just too bad that Jaguar doesn't have a sports car team now, so he could (re)join that marque.

Raikkonen to Red Bull? Hmm... Karma might be getting set to pay young Sebastian a visit.

It's a great shame that Hamilton didn't hang on at McLaren for another year and move to RBR then. Then we'd see how good Seb really is.

[dj_bytedisaster]

Raikkonen to Red Bull? Hmm... Karma might be getting set to pay young Sebastian a visit.

That's imho the most probable option. Be careful however what you wish for - you might get it. We could end up with a Hamilton/Schumacher situation. Many thought that Hamilton would mop the floor with Rosberg. But instead Lewis just proves that Schumacher wasn't as far from his former self as many thought. Yes, Kimi could end the Vettel domination, but he could also prove that more of RB's success is down to Vettel's driving than some of his detractors are willing to concede.
It would be a quite interesting move though. Not too many world champions of the past have accepted another WDC as a team mate. For Vettel it is a no-win scenario. If Kimi beats him, all his detractors will have a field day. If he beats Kimi, they will simply change over to the 'golden boy' story line.

Great to see Webbo at Porsche They need experienced drivers and he is one. Will never forget his nasty flip in the Merc. That was properly scary.

[AndyL]

It's a great shame that Hamilton didn't hang on at McLaren for another year and move to RBR then. Then we'd see how good Seb really is.

Raikkonen should provide a pretty good yardstick if it's him who goes to Red Bull.

He's got to be the most likely candidate hasn't he. He's out of contract next year and would fit the sponsor's corporate image. I don't see either of the Torro Rosso drivers being ready to win a championship yet.

[zako85]

Why so little respect for STR drivers? STR is a low budget team and designs its own chassis. It's expected that they can't challenge for high positions. Getting in points is a prize big enough for the team. I'd understand the doubts about STR drivers is they were making obvious errors or mistakes on the race track, like say Grosjean.

Raikkonen is the most deserving driver of the RBR seat right now, but the big question is about whether RBR is willing to have two drivers who can simultaneously challenge for WDC. Signing a contract for just one year could be smart just in case if things go sour.

[Whyzars]

Oh no. Who will do Vettel's setup's now???? JOKING PEOPLE!!!



Seriously, Mark Webber has achieved a lot and is a great driver. I hope that Ricciardo gets his seat.

[AndyL]

Why so little respect for STR drivers? STR is a low budget team and designs its own chassis. It's expected that they can't challenge for high positions. Getting in points is a prize big enough for the team. I'd understand the doubts about STR drivers is they were making obvious errors or mistakes on the race track, like say Grosjean.

It's a fair point. Even if they're not championship contenders they could make solid number 2 drivers, which Red Bull might prefer after all the conflict in the team over recent years.
No doubt their motivation will be sky-high now that a seat in the top team is open, it'll be interesting to see what they do over the next few races.