Team: Jaguar (was with Minardi in 2002)
Nationality: Australian
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| | Webber |
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STATS
|
Year
|
Rank
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Wins
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Poles
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Podium
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Best finish
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2002
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16
|
0
|
0
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0
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5th, Australia
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Career
|
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0
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0
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0
|
5th
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2002 Recap
The Good: Rookie Mark Webber did a solid job in the underfinanced Minardi Asiatech team. He never struggled to qualify and, if the car lasted, he usually brought it home just outside the top 10 after a respectable drive. Although not the best engine out there, the Asiatech was free and reliable.
Season Highlight: Finishing fifth in front of his home crowd in Australia in his F1 debut. Webber's best drive of the season, however, was actually
in France where he beat Jaguar and Toyota to finish eighth.
The Bad: The team was in a constant and sometimes very public struggle to get the money needed to survive. Team owner Paul Stoddart believed that he was not getting the share of the TV money due to his team, and it got to the point where he wasn't sure if his team would make it to the end of the season.
Season Lowlight: The team had to withdraw from the Spanish Grand Prix because of an unexplained front wing failure in practice.
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| Mark Webber earned a ride with Jaguar in 2003. |
Key Stat: Webber's fifth place in Australia earned Minardi its first points since the European Grand Prix in September 1999.
2003 Outlook
What needs to be done: Webber's performance in 2002 earned him a job with Jaguar in 2003. Now he has to prove he is up to the job. Jaguar needs to produce a far better car than it did in 2002.
Prediction: Webber will not embarrass himself this season. And it will be difficult for Jaguar to have a more disappointing season than it did in 2002.
Your Take
Share your thoughts on how Webber will fare in his first season with Jaguar.
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