JEFF PAPPONE

Globe and Mail Update
Published on Monday, Feb. 07, 2011 2:21PM EST

Formula One driver Mark Webber made headlines when his book, released late last year, revealed that he raced the final four grand prix with a broken shoulder.

But there’s much more to Up Front: 2010 — A Season to Remember than the injury Webber hid from the world – and even his team – as he fought for a world championship.

In fact, F1 should encourage all its stars to follow the Red Bull driver’s lead and also offer open and forthcoming insiders’ views of the season, which would give fans a greater understanding of the sport. The photography in the pages also increases to its appeal, with great behind-the-scenes images that add another dimension to the overall package.

Unfortunately, the book isn’t available in stores outside Australia yet, and must be ordered directly from the publisher, Macmillan Australia, once it prints more copies. The first run sold out quickly.

The book begins with the bike versus SUV accident during the 2008 Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge, a crash that threatened to end Webber’s career. Instead, the Australian not only returned to his car for pre-season testing just 81 days after breaking his leg so badly it required surgery and a pin to fix, but he also had the best season in his eight years in F1.

While the book offers a short summary of 2009 and his first victories in F1, Up Front is really about 2010. Webber goes through season race-by-race, recounting the ups and downs of the year and bringing something new to the table from every grand prix. One highly-publicized revelation was his late season biking accident prior to the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Webber flipped over a friend who had crashed in front of him and suffered a hairline fracture in his shoulder. It was the first time he was on a mountain bike since the accident in 2008.

The book’s real value is Webber’s honesty. It does not shy away from the controversial moments that punctuated the year and strained the relationship between Webber and teammate Sebastian Vettel as the pair battled for the world title. After a slow start, Webber led the points standings for most of the second half but saw the title slip away in the final few races and he finished third. Vettel took the championship by four points over Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, while Webber was 14 back.

Webber also doesn’t take himself too seriously at times, something that is often lacking in the snooty F1 paddock. But most of all, it is refreshing to see an F1 driver be frank about the unseen friction inside the garage.

The first major speed bump came in Turkey, where Vettel crashed into Webber’s car trying to overtake his teammate while the Red Bulls were running 1-2. Vettel retired while Webber continued after changing the damaged nose of his car and emerging from the pitlane in third. He finished the race on the podium, but incident “marked the beginning of a building tension within the team.”

The crash sparked a huge controversy in the press, something Webber feels the team’s inexperience fuelled as it tried to smooth things over. After the race, Red Bull sent out a press release titled “Shit Happens” which included a photo of its two racers shrugging and smiling at each other.

“It was a soft attempt to prove we were getting on, which obviously we weren’t because we had to be told to stand closer,” he says.

“It’s important to keep things in perspective. I guess it’s easy for me to sit here and say that because I wasn’t in Seb’s shoes. If he had continued and I had retired, I don’t know how I would have responded.”

The second controversy arose a month later at the British Grand Prix when Webber had a new specification front wing taken from his car and given to Vettel after his teammate’s failed and broke. The young German got the faster wing for qualifying and the race, a decision that didn’t sit well with Webber.

“It was the first time that the team had ever been in the position where they had two drivers and one part: A unique situation, and one that was handled ‘interestingly’ from my perspective,” he offers.

“Maybe I lost out on Saturday because everyone thought Seb couldn’t handle it if he didn’t get the new front wing. Imagine what it might have been if it had been him in my place they might have had a full-scale meltdown on their hands. So perhaps it was easier to say: ‘Let’s do it to Mark. He’s stronger, he’ll be fine, he’ll get on with it, he always does.’ Well, yes, I will, but don’t test it too far guys.”

In the race, Vettel started on pole but lost the lead in the first corner to Webber and then got a flat after contact with another car. Webber went on to win, while Vettel finished seventh. The Australian made his feelings clear about the team’s decision over the radio as crossed the finish line: “Not bad for a No. 2 driver.”

While he didn’t win the world title, Webber’s personal highlight of the season was his triumph in Monaco, where he became the first Australian to win on the tight and twisty street circuit since Jack Brabham took the victory in 1959.

The charm of the book comes through again in his frank description of the events at the official party long after the race was over.

“I was one of the guests of honour at the royal palace. Naturally, I didn’t have a suit to wear so it was the usual Webber jeans and casual top,” he explains.

“Just my luck another of the knights of motor racing, Sir Jackie Stewart — a three time winner of the Monaco Grand Prix — was on my table and he gave me hell! It was a small price to pay at the end of the greatest day of my life.”

Ends//

Sprint into print

MARK Webbers sensational run through the grand prix season is tracked in his first book, Up Front, which is being rushed into print before Christmas. Ghost-written by Fl veteran Stuart Sykes, the Webber book is the latest in a growing library of Australian motorsport titles and is published by MacMillan with a price of $39.99.