• Red Bull

Healthy rivalry between Webber and Vettel

ESPNF1 Staff
February 20, 2010 « Ferrari looks fastest - Button | »
Mark Webber is confident ahead of the first race © Getty Images
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Mark Webber said he is looking forward to another year of "healthy rivalry" with his Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel won the inter-team battle last season, taking four wins to Webber's two and beating him in the drivers' championship by 14.5 points. The Australian had to sit out of much of pre-season testing last year with a broken leg, but is confident that a full schedule of track time ahead of the first round this year will put him in a much better position to take on Vettel.

"It was very enjoyable last year," Webber told The Age."It was a healthy rivalry, and made me very determined and very motivated to do well. If you have someone like him as a team-mate you have to be at the top of your game. I had some very good races last year, but qualifying was a little bit more demanding for me, particularly going into Q3. All in all, we have the same relationship now, as we did when we weren't team-mates, and that is a very good sign. It's also thanks to how everything is managed from the top in the team. It is a very healthy team and that in turn helps the drivers have a good relationship."

Despite setting the fastest time on Friday he played down the significance of his test times and said he would not become complacent.

"We have to keep an eye on things as we progress through the championship, because in Malaysia [the second round of the season] we will not be talking about the second test in Jerez," Webber said "Things change fast."

Both drivers are expected to have two more days of testing each in Barcelona ahead of the first race in Bahrain.

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