Webber: “I’m probably leaving F1 a year too soon”

Mark Webber has given more insight into his move to Porsche in 2014, revealing he has started to lose motivation for Formula 1.

Speaking to F1 Racing magazine the likeable Aussie said: “I’ve been on the edge with F1, motivation-wise, for the past couple of years.

“You have to be driven. You turn yourself around each winter and the fire in the belly is not quite what it was when you were 24.”

Mark has often said he’d rather leave F1 while he was still competitive, rather than hanging on a season or two too long.

“I still enjoy being belted in the car and driving down the pit lane, which is a bit disappointing,” he added. “But I’ve spoken to some really good sportsmen and women who have been at the crossroads where making the call was not easy and they messed it up.

“I’m probably leaving F1 a year too soon but with the [regulation] changes next season and the opportunity to join Porsche, it’s the best move for me.

“It’s not about driving or racing, it’s about keeping my own F1 program going for 11 months of the year. And it’s just got to the point where it’s like, well, I’ve achieved a lot of things.

“But it does, in the end, force you to ask yourself the question: ‘Do I have to be here, doing this?’ And when Porsche came along, I could look myself in the eye and say: ‘Well, you know what, I probably don’t have to do some of those things any more.”

Meanwhile, McLaren driver Sergio Perez says he expects Daniel Ricciardo to make the most of his promotion to Red Bull’s senior team.

[Source: BBC | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]