Webber not planning to retire

15/12/2012

Mat Coch writes:

He's the oldest man left on the grid, driving alongside the sport's youngest ever triple world champion, but despite the advancing years Mark Webber insists he is still capable of competing in Formula One.

"Your peak is relative," the Australian said. "You've got to piece it all together, and you've got to be honest with yourself and say 'look mate, it's the right time now', and I don't think it is the right time now.

"I'm not at the start of my career, I know that; I'm more towards the back end of my career," he continued. "My goal is to put together a campaign. I've fought for championships and I've had some good and very special memories over the past few years.

"If I got spanked 20:0 in qualifying then, yeah, it's obvious, the alarm bells are ringing. Until that point comes where you feel you're not getting the most out of yourself, and you're sliding, then you need to keep pressing on. That's all we can do next year."

Webber signed a one-year extension with Red Bull in July, and is on track to start his two-hundredth Grand Prix in Bahrain next April - as will Fernando Alonso - becoming the first Australian to join the '200 club'.