Mark Webber has announced that he’s retiring from professional motorsport at the end of the season to become a brand ambassador for Porsche. The likeable 40-year-old Australian has been racing for more than 25 years and has had a stunning career.
The appropriately-nicknamed “Aussie Grit” won nine races in an F1 career that spanned 12 seasons and although he narrowly missed out on winning a championship, his fighting spirit and no-nonsense attitude earned him legions of fans. His time in F1 was full of memorable moments – who can forget his 5th place for Minardi on debut, his pass on Alonso into Eau Rouge or his two wins at Monaco, or on the less positive side, his heart-stopping accident with Heikki Kovalainen in Valencia.
After F1 Webber returned to sportscar racing, driving for Porsche in the World Endurance Championship and winning the championship in 2015 in dramatic fashion. Webber and his crew have won the last three races this year and his final race will be in the 6 Hours of Bahrain on the 19th of November – and there’s every chance he could go out as a double WEC champion. It’d be a fitting end to a magnificent career.