Mark Webber

Webber resides in Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, England, with his partner Ann Neal and her son from previous marriage Luke Barrett. The two haven’t tied the knot.

Mark Alan Webber was born on August 27, 1976 in Queanbeyan, New South Wales to Alan Webber, a local motorcycle dealer.

He completed his secondary education from Karabar High School in Queanbeyan. He was interested in motorsports from an early age.

He started as a motorcycle racer but soon moved to four wheels. At the age of 14, he kicked off his karting career. In 1993, he won the New South Wales state championship that secured him an entry into Australian Formula Ford Championship. He finished at the 14th spot in his debut season.

Year 1995 was a fruitful one in his early career as he recorded several victories. He finished the Australian Grand Prix at the 4th position. Following this, he teamed up with Ann Neal, Championship co-ordinator, who secured him a seven-year sponsorship with Australian Yellow Pages.

It was his excellent performance that helped him earn a place in the Van Diemen team for the 1996 championship. He finished second at the British Formula Ford Championship and first at the Formula Holden Race at the Australian Grand Prix, Formula Ford Festival and Spa-Francorchamps race. Thereafter, he left for Europe

In 1997, he graduated to Formula Three. He finished the season at the fourth place. Due to his outstanding performance, he was approached by Mercedes-AMG. He was eventually signed as the official Mercedes works junior driver for the 1998 FIA GT Championship. Together with Bernd Schneider, he won several races.

Making a mark in Formula Three, he soon looked forward to make a mark in Formula One. His first experience of a Formula One car was for the Arrows F1 team in a two-day test in Barcelona in 1999. Initially, he was given a test driver position which he served until 2001. At this time, Flavio Briatore was his manager.

In 2002, he won the Rookie of the Year Award. He followed this up with a Lorenzo Bandini Trophy in 2006, Hawthorn Memorial Trophy in 2010 and DHL Fastest Lap Trophy in 2011.

Webber’s racing career took an upward climb in 2009 when he recorded eight podium finishes, including a victory at German and Britain Grand Prix. This was in stark contrast to his two podium finishes in the first seven years of his career.

He followed his 2009 winning streak in 2010 as well, recording ten podium finishes, including victory in Spain, Monaco, Hungary and Britain. He looked to be a major title contender for the year. However, he lost to teammate Vettel in the final race. Nevertheless, he finished the season at the third position. In the year 2011 as well, he finished at the third position behind champion Vettel.