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Webber eyeing 2012 championship

Mark Webber is looking to regain the form he had in 2010 © Getty Images

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Mark Webber says he is targeting the World Championship in 2012 and denies that he said 2010 was his last chance to win the title.

Webber was quoted in an interview in Singapore as saying "Yes, of course, I do think that last year was my last chance at being world champion." However, in Japan, Webber says that he was misquoted in the interview, and that he is looking to next season because his team-mate Sebastian Vettel "has done a phenomenal job" in adapting to the 2011 car.

"I didn't say that definitely - 100 per cent - that 2010 was my last chance ever," Webber said. "This year the car has been very different, and Sebastian has done a phenomenal job. Next year we have some changes coming - nothing massive - but there's some changes, and I have to go into it with positive thoughts. It won't be pretty for all of us if it's the same as this year, but we have to be optimistic. That's all of our goals."

Having come so close to winning the championship in 2010, Webber described this season as "back to normal", but said his aim was to fight for the title again.

"Last year was exceptional; it's not every year you fight for a title. It's back to normal at the moment, but I want to try to get it to abnormal for the future. Winning is a beautiful feeling, but obviously one guy has done too much of it this year, which hasn't been great for all of us."

Webber also told Sporting Life that a more short-term target for the rest of this season was to win a race, but that his starts would need to improve.

"It makes the race very difficult when you're on the back foot from the first lap. We need to do better and I need to do better, it's as simple as that ... It would be nice to get one win before the end of the year, but if you then have one win and four DNFs (did not finish) it's not that good, so we still need to be consistent and do well. No question about it, though, winning is a beautiful feeling. It's always satisfying to put a good weekend together, knowing you have done a better job than anyone else. That's what we'll keep striving for.

"The podiums are still nice, with the champagne a mini celebration at the end of the weekend for all the toil and hard work the team has put in. It's still not easy to get onto the top step, and there's a big difference between first and second, that's for sure. But obviously I'd like to get my best result of the season before the year is out after having had plenty of seconds and thirds."

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