German GP champ Webber proud to be one of the few men from his country to win in formula one
Germanu00a0GP champ Webber proud to be one of the few men from his country to win in formula oneAt least one Australian emerged victorious yesterday as Mark Webber finally savoured the sweet taste of Formula One success.
Tomorrow's meal with close friend, Australia captain Ricky Ponting, won't be as celebratory as planned after the cricketers missed out by one wicket on taking a 1-0 lead over England in the Ashes opener at Cardiff. But in becoming the first Australian since Alan Jones at Las Vegas in October 1981 to win a grand prix, Webber will still be hailed a hero Down Under.
Although Webber will be gutted by the result in the cricket, there was no doubting just how much his maiden win meant to him as an Australian.
He said: "It was very important for me as not many Australian drivers have reached F1 and there are even fewer who have been successful. It's a real message to the Australian people. We're a very proud sporting nation which has done well on bikes in the past with Mick (Doohan) and Casey (Stoner). Now this is a great day for me and Australia."
It is also one in the eye for the critics who had written him off. It was just under seven months ago when Webber broke his right leg in a cycling accident in Tasmania, raising fears his career might be over.
At 32, his time in F1 seemed to be drawing to a close anyway. But through sheer determination and will power, Webber fought back to fitness, buoyed by the prospect of being handed a potential race-winning car for the first time in eight years in the sport. "I had great people around me to recover from my injuries. I want to thank my team and everyone in Australia who supported me on the way through.
