Silverstone Paddock Update

F1 Paddock News Update.

Mark Webber walks away from Formula 1 at the end of 2013. Tom Wilkinson reports from the paddock.

I arrive here at Silverstone on Thursday morning to the news of Mark Webber leaving not only Red Bull at the end of 2013, but Formula 1 altogether. This is really not surprising since the Multi 21 incident back in Malaysia. This departure leave an empty gap for next season along side Vettel. Perhaps a Toro Rosso driver will be in line for the seat. This is likely to be the case. Mark Webber leaves F1 for Porsche sports car racing, I’m out and about in the paddock finding out all the latest.

Update

Our F1 expert Tom Wilkinson was on the front row during the drivers press conference, where all the talk was of course about Mark Webber. Here’s what Tom thinks of the Australians Departure.

The Formula 1 Press conference may well have had 4 British drivers taking part, but the talk was always going to be about Mark Webber. This mornings news has been the talk of the paddock, many believing that it’s a good move for the Australian. The move to Porsche for LeMans didn’t surprise many people, some even said it’s his opportunity to finally win LeMans. I agree with that, but I was still surprised this morning to hear that he is to leave Formula One completely. Mark is a great driver and one who is enormously well respected. I knew his time at Red Bull was coming to a rather abrupt end, but I expected him to stay in the sport with another team, perhaps Lotus or Ferrari.

In the drivers press conference today, Mark was asked if he regretted anything, he replied with a firm no. Privately though he’s had enough of Red Bull, all the aggro and scrapping with Vettel has taken it’s toll, but his departure leaves us with the question of who will replace him. Well the honest answer is that it is likely to be a Toro Rosso driver, my money would be on Daniel Ricciardo at this stage. Talking to various people in the paddock today, some say Kimi Raikkonen is poised to take the seat,some even believe that Williams young star Bottas cannot be discounted. It’s an interesting puzzle and one which will play out in time.

There was a sense of disappointment among many people today regarding this news. Mark is not only a great driver, but also a fantastic character in the world of Formula 1. He will be missed by many, and his straight talking no nonsense attitude is always refreshing rather than the usual bland responses. Porsche will give Mark a fantastic opportunity to win LeMans, and I wish him the best of luck, but I know there will be many F1 fans including myself who will miss him.

Tweet me your thoughts on this story or anything else this weekend, drivin4Pleasure or TomWilkinsonF1. I’d be happy to answer your questions, and it’s interesting to see what the fans have to say.

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