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Aussie Grit: My Formula One Journey
In his trademark straight-talking, no-nonsense style Mark Webber reveals his amazing life on and off the Formula One race track in Aussie Grit.Mark Webber was at the centre of one of the most captivating chapters in the history of Formula One. In 2010, while racing for Red Bull, he and his team mate Sebastian Vettel went head to head for the World Championship. There could only be one winner. Since retiring from Formula One Mark has concentrated on endurance racing, including the legendary Le Mans 24 Hour race. He hit the front pages of newspapers around the world in December 2014 when he slammed into the barricades in the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in South America, and was lucky to escape with his life. But the controversy of his relationship on and off the track with Vettel, who went on to win multiple world titles, has never been far beneath the surface. Here, for the first time, Webber tells the inside story of one of Formula One's most intriguing battles – it is a story that goes to the heart of why the sport is loved by millions of fans around the world.From his first taste of karting to his F1 debut in 2002, scoring Minardi's first points in three years at the Australian Grand Prix, through to his first win with Red Bull at the 2009 German Grand Prix and the year he should have been crowned World Champion. Mark Webber's journey to the top of Formula One was every bit as determined and committed as his racing. Aussie Grit is his searingly honest story.Includes a foreword by Formula One legend Sir Jackie Stewart.
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2015
About the author
Mark Webber
3 books8 followersMark Alan Webber (born 27 August 1976) is an Australian former professional racing driver, who last competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship as a Porsche works driver in LMP1, in which he won the championship in 2015. Webber won nine Formula One Grands Prix and finished third in the championship in 2010, 2011 and 2013, all of which achieved while driving for Red Bull Racing.
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November 3, 2024
Webber was a workmanlike driver with considerable talent, and though not on the level of Fernando Alonso, with whom he raced against, or even the up and coming Sebastian Vettel, with whom he raced with, he is miles ahead of fellow countryman Ricardo in my opinion. But Webber raced in an era when Schumacher was still around as he came up, and then Alonso and Hamilton and Button and Vettel, and a slew of great drivers, so his achievements take on much greater import.
Inconsistency is a knock on Webber, but in the crappy world of Red Bull, where he had his greatest success, a lot of that, as anyone who understands Formula One and follows it knows, can definitely be attributed to the handicap under which Webber found himself due to Marko’s favoritism and the fractured internal politics/power structure of that team.
I had high hopes for this autobiography when I began reading. But the more I read the more convinced I was that I was going to get no more than a superficial look at what transpired, and little insight or depth. This autobiography is not bad, as it’s a nice look at a good bloke’s racing career, with a few asides for his personal life, including the nice woman who helped guide his career and push it forward whom he came to love, despite an age gap that for a time — he was pretty young — caused him to step away from it due to his parents’ objections.
To me it was maddening that I couldn’t feel Webber’s anger or passion about some of the chicanery at Red Bull especially. Webber bends over backwards to be pragmatic, to come off as the good bloke he is, but the more I read, the more maddening that became. There is almost a hero-worship aspect to his relationship with Schumacher; so much so, that even when the entire paddock — not to mention racing fans — were justifiably disgusted with him, could see from his actions and statements how he was, Webber tries to soften Schumacher’s actions. The same with Vettel, who was like a talented spoiled brat already acting like Schumacher even before he’d accomplished anything, and having the luxury of Marko’s coddling to protect him from reality.
But that’s part of the problem with this memoir or autobiography; the reader and fan of the sport shouldn’t be more disgusted and upset about the events and circumstances than the writer, the man who lived through it. I’m not even a super-fan of Webber; Senna and then Alonso were/are my guys, and the greatest two drivers I’ve ever witnessed. Even being a neutral but interested party, I find Webber’s matter-of-fact approach, and his unwillingness to call a spade a spade, or a jerk a jerk, irritating.
In addition to lack of real insight or any measurable depth, Webber makes Aussie Grit a highly readable yet very superficial look at the man, his career, and the ugly side of F1. Aussie Grit doesn’t give me any better understanding of events than I already had — probably less, actually — but worse, it doesn’t add flesh to the bones of Webber himself. I came away from this book thinking Webber’s a gook bloke, a nice guy who was a racer through and through, a guy who accomplished a lot in his career but should have accomplished more; Webber might even have one world title had circumstances been less stacked against him by Marko. But I already knew all that.
I really believe the problem with this autobiography is two-fold: first, Webber is a good bloke, a nice guy; second, this was written while his career was still ongoing, even though he’d switched series and was no longer in F1 — by his own choice. Maybe part of Webber’s personality as a good guy — and he is — kept him from being more brutally honest about some of these folks — he instead makes excuses for them. But I couldn’t help wonder if another part that makes this book unmemorable is that at the time of his writing it, there were bridges he did not wish to burn.
A good bloke, not a bad read by any means, but for real fans, disappointing. If you like Webber and want to know more about his life and his racing career as a highlight reel, this isn’t bad. Others may want to pass on it, because that’s what it is — a highlight reel.
Inconsistency is a knock on Webber, but in the crappy world of Red Bull, where he had his greatest success, a lot of that, as anyone who understands Formula One and follows it knows, can definitely be attributed to the handicap under which Webber found himself due to Marko’s favoritism and the fractured internal politics/power structure of that team.
I had high hopes for this autobiography when I began reading. But the more I read the more convinced I was that I was going to get no more than a superficial look at what transpired, and little insight or depth. This autobiography is not bad, as it’s a nice look at a good bloke’s racing career, with a few asides for his personal life, including the nice woman who helped guide his career and push it forward whom he came to love, despite an age gap that for a time — he was pretty young — caused him to step away from it due to his parents’ objections.
To me it was maddening that I couldn’t feel Webber’s anger or passion about some of the chicanery at Red Bull especially. Webber bends over backwards to be pragmatic, to come off as the good bloke he is, but the more I read, the more maddening that became. There is almost a hero-worship aspect to his relationship with Schumacher; so much so, that even when the entire paddock — not to mention racing fans — were justifiably disgusted with him, could see from his actions and statements how he was, Webber tries to soften Schumacher’s actions. The same with Vettel, who was like a talented spoiled brat already acting like Schumacher even before he’d accomplished anything, and having the luxury of Marko’s coddling to protect him from reality.
But that’s part of the problem with this memoir or autobiography; the reader and fan of the sport shouldn’t be more disgusted and upset about the events and circumstances than the writer, the man who lived through it. I’m not even a super-fan of Webber; Senna and then Alonso were/are my guys, and the greatest two drivers I’ve ever witnessed. Even being a neutral but interested party, I find Webber’s matter-of-fact approach, and his unwillingness to call a spade a spade, or a jerk a jerk, irritating.
In addition to lack of real insight or any measurable depth, Webber makes Aussie Grit a highly readable yet very superficial look at the man, his career, and the ugly side of F1. Aussie Grit doesn’t give me any better understanding of events than I already had — probably less, actually — but worse, it doesn’t add flesh to the bones of Webber himself. I came away from this book thinking Webber’s a gook bloke, a nice guy who was a racer through and through, a guy who accomplished a lot in his career but should have accomplished more; Webber might even have one world title had circumstances been less stacked against him by Marko. But I already knew all that.
I really believe the problem with this autobiography is two-fold: first, Webber is a good bloke, a nice guy; second, this was written while his career was still ongoing, even though he’d switched series and was no longer in F1 — by his own choice. Maybe part of Webber’s personality as a good guy — and he is — kept him from being more brutally honest about some of these folks — he instead makes excuses for them. But I couldn’t help wonder if another part that makes this book unmemorable is that at the time of his writing it, there were bridges he did not wish to burn.
A good bloke, not a bad read by any means, but for real fans, disappointing. If you like Webber and want to know more about his life and his racing career as a highlight reel, this isn’t bad. Others may want to pass on it, because that’s what it is — a highlight reel.
October 28, 2015
Typical Mark - succinct, honest, and humble
A bloody good book. Not just a genuine look inside the dubious world of F1, but a look into the man Mark Webber is. If you've followed Mark over his career, he is who you think he is, but this book fills in all the gaps between the snapshots you were allowed to see, between interviews and podiums. Emblematic of his cool down lap in Brazil, during his last race, this book will show you The Man Behind The Helmet. And let's not forget Mark wrote this book himself, which is an achievement in itself.
A bloody good book. Not just a genuine look inside the dubious world of F1, but a look into the man Mark Webber is. If you've followed Mark over his career, he is who you think he is, but this book fills in all the gaps between the snapshots you were allowed to see, between interviews and podiums. Emblematic of his cool down lap in Brazil, during his last race, this book will show you The Man Behind The Helmet. And let's not forget Mark wrote this book himself, which is an achievement in itself.
August 6, 2015
Couldn't not read. However there's a lot of 'came xth in this race' stuff which may need to be covered but isn't that interesting for seasons in the distant past. Some good insights and comments as you would expect from Mark in his normal outspoken manner. However these are fairly dispersed over a longish book. Would have been more interested in what he could share about his driving technique, how it improved / developed over time and development of F1 cars during his period behind the wheel. Much of the latter probably still covered by confidentiality agreements but could have added much more interest to the book.
May 23, 2024
Helmut Marko we already had beef but after this it’s on sight you barely alive corpse
May 27, 2021
Such a book is going to appeal to different readers. There will be some interested in the full biography of a Formula 1 driver – including the early years of a young kid from a little town in New South Wales working his way up through karting and later through the various other categories; then there are the petrol heads who want the ins and outs of different vehicles, and how one car and race differs from another etc; then there’s my category – a follower of Formula 1 who wants to know the stories behind the scenes, including the stories of key races, his thoughts on other characters, the whys, the secrets, the bad blood between individuals etc etc. The book succeeds on supplying all these requirements, which maybe good overall, but does of course mean that there are moments which will not appeal to some. Personally I could have done without all the detail of some of the amateur days and the results of many early races; I could easily have read the very fine Prologue and jumped straight to Chapter 5. Ideally, for me, I’d have liked Chapters 1-4 condensed into one or two chapters, but I acknowledge I’m speaking from someone looking for my specific requirements.
One fascinating oddity from these early chapters is something I’ve heard others talk about and Mark Webber covers here, the fact that in pre-professional days, drivers pay teams in order to drive for them. Hopefully with the help of sponsors. This is where his future wife, Ann, was a great help in dealing with his business and sponsorships, along with Australian rugby star, David Campese. Very different to other sports!
I know Niki Lauder was very complementary on the section ‘Prologue: In The Cockpit,’ - it’s a very fine piece of writing on getting into and sitting in a Formula 1 car and describing what it can do. On its claustrophobia and unremitting assault on the senses.
Chapter 5 describes the events of Le Mans 1999 in which Webber’s car somersaulted into the air, and not for the first time in his career had to deal with belittling crap from his team. This is where the book takes off for me. [Aha, I wrote that without seeing the irony at first, I’ll leave it in]. From here on, he comments upon friends and foes alike, and the background on various team decisions (particularly his main Formula 1 team of Red Bull). Obviously there are two sides to all stories, but here it’s for the individual to make their own judgement calls; personally I’ve always seen Mark Webber as a straight-talking, no nonsense Aussie who didn’t play politics and cosy-up to the powers-that-be. He gives plenty of detail and I’ll go with his version of events all the way, because even when critical of someone, he’ll try and see it from the other person’s perspective also - which must have been tough with regards Helmut Marko, who was head of Red Bull’s driver development program. Being his young protégé, Marko gave Webber’s team mate Sebastien Vettel such full and unbridled weight of backing in one half of the Red Bull garage that Webber would argue that it was unhealthy for the team as a whole.
Overall, this is a very readable autobiography [to his credit he fully acknowledges and thanks ghost-writer, Stuart Sykes] of someone who certainly didn’t have things handed to him on a plate. He fought against the odds (coming from a remote background) to get the chance to get to the top, and didn’t have it easy when reaching there. As great as they are, I’d sooner read this than something about Michael Schumacher or Sebastien Vettel (both of whom had the full backing of their teams behind them, and were lumbered, for me, with unlikeable character flaws and brazen disregard for the rules); and Lewis Hamilton, who in my opinion is clearly the best driver in modern times, but given the fact that he’s had little competition from his team mates and has had the best car for many seasons makes for skewed comparisons, and would therefore not be a read that would appeal. Let’s not forget that he actually lost the World Championship the last time he had a team mate who could challenge him - Nico Rosberg in 2016; but of course Hamilton won more races that year, and I suspect the effort all but finished Rosberg off - who immediately retired. Make of it what you will!
Mark Webber clearly has a great fondness for his dogs. In fact, the death of one from cancer (Milo in 2008) is one of the saddest pieces I’ve read in a long time. The dog had long been ill:-
‘Milo and Shadow were a massive part of our home life; they were my mates and my training companions. I would seek them out as soon as I arrived home from a race and take them for a long walk, just the three of us, as I unwound from the stresses and demands of a Grand Prix weekend.
Arriving home from the test and seeing Milo so overjoyed to see me ripped me apart. He didn’t look ill but we knew his condition wasn’t going to get any better. Ann and I agreed we couldn’t put this brave dog through any more trauma and so we made the heart-breaking call to Anne, our vet, and asked if she would come to the house to put him to sleep. I will never forget that day: the sound of Anne’s car on the gravel outside and Milo wagging his tail madly at the thought of a visitor to the house. Totally oblivious to the reason she was there, he was still wagging his tail as she injected the drug. I’m not ashamed to admit I bawled my eyes out as I felt his head going heavy in my hands. His life slipped away and I remember I closed his big brown eyes. It was the worst day of my life…’
A fine and very readable book that doesn’t shy away from the controversies. Written I think by one of the good, no BS guys of the sport.
One fascinating oddity from these early chapters is something I’ve heard others talk about and Mark Webber covers here, the fact that in pre-professional days, drivers pay teams in order to drive for them. Hopefully with the help of sponsors. This is where his future wife, Ann, was a great help in dealing with his business and sponsorships, along with Australian rugby star, David Campese. Very different to other sports!
I know Niki Lauder was very complementary on the section ‘Prologue: In The Cockpit,’ - it’s a very fine piece of writing on getting into and sitting in a Formula 1 car and describing what it can do. On its claustrophobia and unremitting assault on the senses.
Chapter 5 describes the events of Le Mans 1999 in which Webber’s car somersaulted into the air, and not for the first time in his career had to deal with belittling crap from his team. This is where the book takes off for me. [Aha, I wrote that without seeing the irony at first, I’ll leave it in]. From here on, he comments upon friends and foes alike, and the background on various team decisions (particularly his main Formula 1 team of Red Bull). Obviously there are two sides to all stories, but here it’s for the individual to make their own judgement calls; personally I’ve always seen Mark Webber as a straight-talking, no nonsense Aussie who didn’t play politics and cosy-up to the powers-that-be. He gives plenty of detail and I’ll go with his version of events all the way, because even when critical of someone, he’ll try and see it from the other person’s perspective also - which must have been tough with regards Helmut Marko, who was head of Red Bull’s driver development program. Being his young protégé, Marko gave Webber’s team mate Sebastien Vettel such full and unbridled weight of backing in one half of the Red Bull garage that Webber would argue that it was unhealthy for the team as a whole.
Overall, this is a very readable autobiography [to his credit he fully acknowledges and thanks ghost-writer, Stuart Sykes] of someone who certainly didn’t have things handed to him on a plate. He fought against the odds (coming from a remote background) to get the chance to get to the top, and didn’t have it easy when reaching there. As great as they are, I’d sooner read this than something about Michael Schumacher or Sebastien Vettel (both of whom had the full backing of their teams behind them, and were lumbered, for me, with unlikeable character flaws and brazen disregard for the rules); and Lewis Hamilton, who in my opinion is clearly the best driver in modern times, but given the fact that he’s had little competition from his team mates and has had the best car for many seasons makes for skewed comparisons, and would therefore not be a read that would appeal. Let’s not forget that he actually lost the World Championship the last time he had a team mate who could challenge him - Nico Rosberg in 2016; but of course Hamilton won more races that year, and I suspect the effort all but finished Rosberg off - who immediately retired. Make of it what you will!
Mark Webber clearly has a great fondness for his dogs. In fact, the death of one from cancer (Milo in 2008) is one of the saddest pieces I’ve read in a long time. The dog had long been ill:-
‘Milo and Shadow were a massive part of our home life; they were my mates and my training companions. I would seek them out as soon as I arrived home from a race and take them for a long walk, just the three of us, as I unwound from the stresses and demands of a Grand Prix weekend.
Arriving home from the test and seeing Milo so overjoyed to see me ripped me apart. He didn’t look ill but we knew his condition wasn’t going to get any better. Ann and I agreed we couldn’t put this brave dog through any more trauma and so we made the heart-breaking call to Anne, our vet, and asked if she would come to the house to put him to sleep. I will never forget that day: the sound of Anne’s car on the gravel outside and Milo wagging his tail madly at the thought of a visitor to the house. Totally oblivious to the reason she was there, he was still wagging his tail as she injected the drug. I’m not ashamed to admit I bawled my eyes out as I felt his head going heavy in my hands. His life slipped away and I remember I closed his big brown eyes. It was the worst day of my life…’
A fine and very readable book that doesn’t shy away from the controversies. Written I think by one of the good, no BS guys of the sport.
December 29, 2022
Biografia taka, jaką powinna być. Szczera, ze szczegółami, zdradzająca więcej niż Wikipedia.
Mark odważnie rozlicza się ze swoim pobytem w Red Bullu, nie oszczędzając Vettela i Helmuta Marko.
Zgrzyta mi to, jak długi pobyt w Red Bullu zaliczył, skoro już w 2010 roku zorientował się że jest kierowcą numer 2, co mu nie odpowiadało. No ale nikt nie rezygnuje z miejsca w topowym bolidzie dlatego, że jest niemiło...
Dla każdego fana jest to pozycja obowiązkowa.
Mark odważnie rozlicza się ze swoim pobytem w Red Bullu, nie oszczędzając Vettela i Helmuta Marko.
Zgrzyta mi to, jak długi pobyt w Red Bullu zaliczył, skoro już w 2010 roku zorientował się że jest kierowcą numer 2, co mu nie odpowiadało. No ale nikt nie rezygnuje z miejsca w topowym bolidzie dlatego, że jest niemiło...
Dla każdego fana jest to pozycja obowiązkowa.
January 7, 2016
I’ve been so into non-fiction lately and as well as my love for Formula 1, I thought it would be a good time to make a start on my F1 reading library with Mark Webber’s autobiography – Aussie Grit. Now, Mark Webber is a driver that I didn’t originally know an awful lot about. Aside from his infamous rivalry with ex team-mate, Sebastian Vettel, I pretty much knew bollock all-else about his life so I went into this book with a completely open mind and all I can say is, if you like Formula 1, whether you watched Mark race or not, read it.
Mark Webber is such an endearing character to watch both on and off the track. He’s straight and to the point, doesn’t beat around the bush and his no-nonsense attitude all comes across in his book. The way it’s written, the “webberisms” and despite being ghost-written, you can feel Mark in every page. As autobiographies go, it wasn’t all too serious. He talks about his racing career, home life and relationships but all with the sense of “this was this, that was that, nothing more to it”. Like I said, very straight to the point fella. I liked it.
If you like F1 in any way, shape or form, then this would be a fantastic read. Despite finding it a little hard to follow near the beginning when Mark spoke about his journey to F1 (I won’t lie, I don’t know an awful lot about other racing categories), as soon as he reached F1, I was completely hooked and fascinated by all the “behind the scenes” stuff we, as viewers, don’t usually see or hear. There is so much, so damn much that goes on between a racing team, the personnel and the drivers and not all of it’s pretty. Some parts of this book shocked me and I gotta say how much I feel for Mark throughout parts of his career. But obviously that’s open to opinion, depending on what driver was your favourite.
I’m not lying when I say it made me laugh, cry and smile. He talks about some very real things, some of which we can all relate to because let’s face it, we can’t all relate to a F1 racing career and I loved hearing about Mark the racer and also Mark the person under the helmet. If you loved Mark before, you’ll love him even more after reading this. An absolutely fantastic autobiography; entertaining, eye-opening and brutally honest. An absolute must-read for F1 fans.
Mark Webber is such an endearing character to watch both on and off the track. He’s straight and to the point, doesn’t beat around the bush and his no-nonsense attitude all comes across in his book. The way it’s written, the “webberisms” and despite being ghost-written, you can feel Mark in every page. As autobiographies go, it wasn’t all too serious. He talks about his racing career, home life and relationships but all with the sense of “this was this, that was that, nothing more to it”. Like I said, very straight to the point fella. I liked it.
If you like F1 in any way, shape or form, then this would be a fantastic read. Despite finding it a little hard to follow near the beginning when Mark spoke about his journey to F1 (I won’t lie, I don’t know an awful lot about other racing categories), as soon as he reached F1, I was completely hooked and fascinated by all the “behind the scenes” stuff we, as viewers, don’t usually see or hear. There is so much, so damn much that goes on between a racing team, the personnel and the drivers and not all of it’s pretty. Some parts of this book shocked me and I gotta say how much I feel for Mark throughout parts of his career. But obviously that’s open to opinion, depending on what driver was your favourite.
I’m not lying when I say it made me laugh, cry and smile. He talks about some very real things, some of which we can all relate to because let’s face it, we can’t all relate to a F1 racing career and I loved hearing about Mark the racer and also Mark the person under the helmet. If you loved Mark before, you’ll love him even more after reading this. An absolutely fantastic autobiography; entertaining, eye-opening and brutally honest. An absolute must-read for F1 fans.
May 6, 2017
As someone who has only come into Formula One in recent years (2014 to be precise) and thus missed Mark Webber's up and down career, this was a very enjoyable book.
I was of course aware of the main dramas - Multi 21 (which the book actually starts with), Red Bull gives one wing and so on, and that a lot of the time he "Webbered" starts (to use a friend's nomenclature) but I knew very little about the guy other than he's Australian and has an odd accent then for one of us.
His journey to the cockpit is very impressive to follow, and I can only imagine how it felt to be rooting for him during his time in the sport, and his many disappointments. After this and Brundle's book I quite feel like reading some more F1 literature.
I was of course aware of the main dramas - Multi 21 (which the book actually starts with), Red Bull gives one wing and so on, and that a lot of the time he "Webbered" starts (to use a friend's nomenclature) but I knew very little about the guy other than he's Australian and has an odd accent then for one of us.
His journey to the cockpit is very impressive to follow, and I can only imagine how it felt to be rooting for him during his time in the sport, and his many disappointments. After this and Brundle's book I quite feel like reading some more F1 literature.
August 19, 2017
Far too many exclamation marks.
Heehhe. "Marks".
Heehhe. "Marks".
November 15, 2017
All those exclamation marks got tiresome. no one is that excited about everything.
September 25, 2018
And the Aussie's call us whinging poms!
January 15, 2024
3.5 stars
This book has made my respect for Ann Neal grow immensely. She’s everything I aspire to be; a phenomenal business woman, a fierce and loyal partner and above all one hell of a determined person.
I particularly loved all passages including how it felt to be in a race car and do said racing.
Furthermore, the closer look you get into F1 politics is something I truly enjoy (those NDA’s must be brutal). I’m glad that people like Adrian Newey and Dietrich Mateschitz (rest in peace) exist. Red Bull Racing might be one hell of a team, but it doesn’t really change, does it? History has and is still repeating itself with the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and now Sergio Perez.
I’m beyond curious to see what Mark’s thoughts are on what happened to Daniel Ricciardio, because as he himself has put it Daniel was ‘one of the young guns most likely to challenge Lewis for world titles in the future’. (honest to god I hope that Daniel will write an autobiography just as honest as this one in the future).
I was delighted to see Mark also included part of his WEC journey. I myself, love WEC, and it was nice to see it from a driver’s perspective. Especially the comparisons between F1 and WEC.
I loved reading this because of its honesty. It’s a recommendation to all racing fans, but I will say that some knowledge of the racing era between 2005-2014 is handy.
Some negative aspects: the overuse of exclamation marks (seriously, it drove me insane), the flow at some points and sometimes he would repeat certain facts a couple of times with a few pages between.
I would definitely read another autobiography of his life after F1, more detailed about WEC and all the crazy stuff he’s up to now with Porsche and with managing Oscar Piastri.
This book has made my respect for Ann Neal grow immensely. She’s everything I aspire to be; a phenomenal business woman, a fierce and loyal partner and above all one hell of a determined person.
I particularly loved all passages including how it felt to be in a race car and do said racing.
Furthermore, the closer look you get into F1 politics is something I truly enjoy (those NDA’s must be brutal). I’m glad that people like Adrian Newey and Dietrich Mateschitz (rest in peace) exist. Red Bull Racing might be one hell of a team, but it doesn’t really change, does it? History has and is still repeating itself with the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and now Sergio Perez.
I’m beyond curious to see what Mark’s thoughts are on what happened to Daniel Ricciardio, because as he himself has put it Daniel was ‘one of the young guns most likely to challenge Lewis for world titles in the future’. (honest to god I hope that Daniel will write an autobiography just as honest as this one in the future).
I was delighted to see Mark also included part of his WEC journey. I myself, love WEC, and it was nice to see it from a driver’s perspective. Especially the comparisons between F1 and WEC.
I loved reading this because of its honesty. It’s a recommendation to all racing fans, but I will say that some knowledge of the racing era between 2005-2014 is handy.
Some negative aspects: the overuse of exclamation marks (seriously, it drove me insane), the flow at some points and sometimes he would repeat certain facts a couple of times with a few pages between.
I would definitely read another autobiography of his life after F1, more detailed about WEC and all the crazy stuff he’s up to now with Porsche and with managing Oscar Piastri.
July 21, 2022
“What’s it like to be in the cockpit of an F1 car? It’s like running a marathon in shoes two sizes too small.”
I'll be honest, I'm not a Red Bull fan in any way (maybe if I was into F1 in the 2010 era), however, I am a Sebastian Vettel fan and I did read this book to find out more about Mark's perspective of Multi 21.
One of the things I've learnt from this book is that Helmut Marko has always been a shit talker and never has anything positive to say even about his own team. (This is a certified Hemlut Marko hate page!)
Another thing..."one of the young guns most likely to challenge Lewis for world titles in the future is Daniel Ricciardo." I AM IN TEARS ABSOLUTE CRYING MESS. Here we are approximately 7 years later on the brink of Daniel's retirement. It makes me sick to my stomach.
All in all, it was a really informative book if you're a Formula 1 fan such as myself, not like Jenson Button's unfortunately, I think his was better written.
I'll be honest, I'm not a Red Bull fan in any way (maybe if I was into F1 in the 2010 era), however, I am a Sebastian Vettel fan and I did read this book to find out more about Mark's perspective of Multi 21.
One of the things I've learnt from this book is that Helmut Marko has always been a shit talker and never has anything positive to say even about his own team. (This is a certified Hemlut Marko hate page!)
Another thing..."one of the young guns most likely to challenge Lewis for world titles in the future is Daniel Ricciardo." I AM IN TEARS ABSOLUTE CRYING MESS. Here we are approximately 7 years later on the brink of Daniel's retirement. It makes me sick to my stomach.
All in all, it was a really informative book if you're a Formula 1 fan such as myself, not like Jenson Button's unfortunately, I think his was better written.
February 19, 2024
Super interessanter Einblick in das Leben eines F1 Fahrers.
October 12, 2024
Cieszę się, że Oscar Piastri za menadżera ma kogoś takiego, jak właśnie Mark Webber
June 23, 2024
if redbull has zero haters that means I'm dead
January 11, 2018
I give this a 3 and a half star rating.
Mark Webber has always been one of my favourite racing drivers, so I was happy to finally sit down and read his autobiography. By the end I did find myself wishing I'd learnt a little more about the man, himself. There was a lot of technical talk about the various cars throughout his career, which went a little over my head a little. I am an F1 fan, but my knowledge of the ins and outs of the cars themselves is a little limited. I also struggled with the earlier chapters which seemed to jump around the timeline a bit and keeping everyone that Mark mentioned straight was at least helped a bit by reading the ebook.
Where the book really kicked into gear was the Red Bull F1 chapters. Mark talks in depth about the "Multi 21" incident as well as some of the other incidents that took place between him and Sebastian Vettel. I would have liked a little more details about what went down in some of the other incidents, but what Mark mentioned was still a good insight.
I would have liked to have read a little more about the personal side of Mark's time in F1, rather than the focus on being what happened on the track, which we already knew by watching the races. We did get some, but like I said I just wanted a little more. Having said that, the book was written with the Mark Webber laid-back style we've all come to know and love. Having passages written by those who know and love him the most, like his father and Ann was also a great touch and added further insights into his career story.
Mark Webber has always been one of my favourite racing drivers, so I was happy to finally sit down and read his autobiography. By the end I did find myself wishing I'd learnt a little more about the man, himself. There was a lot of technical talk about the various cars throughout his career, which went a little over my head a little. I am an F1 fan, but my knowledge of the ins and outs of the cars themselves is a little limited. I also struggled with the earlier chapters which seemed to jump around the timeline a bit and keeping everyone that Mark mentioned straight was at least helped a bit by reading the ebook.
Where the book really kicked into gear was the Red Bull F1 chapters. Mark talks in depth about the "Multi 21" incident as well as some of the other incidents that took place between him and Sebastian Vettel. I would have liked a little more details about what went down in some of the other incidents, but what Mark mentioned was still a good insight.
I would have liked to have read a little more about the personal side of Mark's time in F1, rather than the focus on being what happened on the track, which we already knew by watching the races. We did get some, but like I said I just wanted a little more. Having said that, the book was written with the Mark Webber laid-back style we've all come to know and love. Having passages written by those who know and love him the most, like his father and Ann was also a great touch and added further insights into his career story.
November 3, 2015
God, I loved this book.
I'm not quite sure how to review it. It's the first time I've read a book by a still active race car driver, one that I have had the pleasure to meet, and one that I have cheered for for years, and it made it an awesome read but one that I'm not sure I can say much about besides the fact I enjoyed it immensely.
I'm not a huge F1 fan and Mark Webber's career was already half way through when I started really following it so it was really interesting to hear more about it, especially the behind the scenes stuff, especially in the Red Bull years. It was a brutally honest look at what F1 was really like now and you could feel how frustrated Mark was at times and it was just a fascinating read, beyond fascinating.
And Mark Webber's personality and voice just shown through out...it was a great read.
Also the last bit about sports car racing made me squee because that's my jam. It went from being about race car drivers I see on tv, to being people I've met and people I really actively cheer for and just became a lot of fun and bouncy to read. And reading that knowing that he's one race away from winning a world championship in WEC with Brendan and Timo...just awesome.
Highly recommend it to any racing fan, or anyone who likes a true story about a guy who worked his ass off to make his dreams come true.
I'm not quite sure how to review it. It's the first time I've read a book by a still active race car driver, one that I have had the pleasure to meet, and one that I have cheered for for years, and it made it an awesome read but one that I'm not sure I can say much about besides the fact I enjoyed it immensely.
I'm not a huge F1 fan and Mark Webber's career was already half way through when I started really following it so it was really interesting to hear more about it, especially the behind the scenes stuff, especially in the Red Bull years. It was a brutally honest look at what F1 was really like now and you could feel how frustrated Mark was at times and it was just a fascinating read, beyond fascinating.
And Mark Webber's personality and voice just shown through out...it was a great read.
Also the last bit about sports car racing made me squee because that's my jam. It went from being about race car drivers I see on tv, to being people I've met and people I really actively cheer for and just became a lot of fun and bouncy to read. And reading that knowing that he's one race away from winning a world championship in WEC with Brendan and Timo...just awesome.
Highly recommend it to any racing fan, or anyone who likes a true story about a guy who worked his ass off to make his dreams come true.
November 14, 2015
If I didn't already massively admire Mark Webber, I certainly would do after reading this: an honest, frank and genuine guy accounting his incredible story to the F1 paddock and beyond.
Plus, I've also learnt a new phrase in 'bee's dick' which I will be adding to my own vocabulary.
Plus, I've also learnt a new phrase in 'bee's dick' which I will be adding to my own vocabulary.
June 11, 2024
Still on my athlete’s autobiographies kick and this was FUN. It's very vivid and full of personality, so props to the ghostwriter for that. Webber's unusual path to F1, coming from the Australian karting scene, makes for a really compelling first half of the book; I knew what to expect from the back half, but still thoroughly enjoyed and found it pretty compelling. Shoutout to how much Webber fucking hates Helmut Marko (relatable, ngl). Every other person who's mentioned in the book gets something nice said about them, even the ones Webber didn't get on with, and I enjoyed the anecdotes, especially those about lesser-known or non-famous people around the F1 scene.
April 4, 2022
Brilliant novel did not think I could love Mark Webber more but turns out I absolutely could. A brilliantly gritty novel - I didn’t know half of the things he had had to do before getting to F1 proving that it isn’t always the rich daddy’s playground it pretends to be.
Mark’s voice shines through and his autobiographer captured his essence so incredibly well. I loved it.
Mark’s voice shines through and his autobiographer captured his essence so incredibly well. I loved it.
December 9, 2022
one of the best reads from this year, really well written biography and very much appreciated reflection from mark's pov about the f1 world and his experience. Honest and humble mark u will always be famous <3
February 17, 2019
Loves it
July 25, 2023
Not bad for a number two driver- Mark Webber gives great insights in his Formula 1 and racing career.
March 21, 2024
I simply love mahk webbah, and that is all there is to say about that
August 26, 2024
very interesting, i enjoyed reading the behind the scenes, especially to one of f1’s more controversial events, as well as webber’s ongoing journey in motorsport.
September 22, 2024
Naprawdę dobra autobiografia, dla fanów Webbera pozycja obowiązkowa. Jak ktoś śledzi F1 na bieżąco, po tej lekturze nie ma wątpliwości, że żaden kierowca, którego Mark jest managerem, nigdy do RB nie przejdzie, przynajmniej tak długo, jak długo jest tam Helmut Marko. Naprawdę podziwiam, jak długo Mark był w stanie z taką atmosferą wytrzymać.
August 3, 2019
Excellent read on one of the greats of the sport. Loved his candid reflections of the Red Bull years and what it took for him to ascend to the dizzy heights of f1 from his humble origins in rural Australia.
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