October 19, 2008

BRITAIN'S Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday but was denied the world championship by title rival Felipe Massa, who finished second.

McLaren's Hamilton led throughout for a straightforward win but he remains just seven points ahead of Massa, taking the championship to a dramatic final race in Brazil next month.

"A fantastic race, the car was a dream to drive for me,'' said Hamilton.

"All weekend we had God on our side as always and the team did a perfect job. The car's been fantastic all weekend.''

Ferrari's outgoing champion Kimi Raikkonen was third after conceding second place to Massa late on. Two-time former world champion Fernando Alonso of Renault was fourth.

BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld finished fifth ahead of his teammate Robert Kubica, the only other title contender, who finished sixth to end his slim championship hopes.

Hamilton, 23, is bidding to become both the youngest and the first black driver to win the world title after throwing away a commanding lead in the standings in his rookie season last year.

"This is a completely different situation to last year,'' said Hamilton, who now has 94 points and Massa 87 after coming home nearly 15 seconds clear.

"Brazil will be very different this time.''

The Briton, who has faced strong criticism of his aggressive racing, will have silenced some of his detractors with this convincing display of smooth front-running.

He avoided the fireworks seen at the start of the Japan Grand Prix last week in a clean start from pole position, followed by Ferrari's Raikkonen and Massa.

Hamilton reeled off a succession of fastest laps to establish a lead that he extended with comfort as Ferrari seemed to struggle with the softer tyres in the first sector of the race.

By the time the leaders began making their first pit-stops, Hamilton led by more than four seconds ahead of Raikkonen followed by Massa, Alonso and McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.

Massa was the first to pit, but continued with his choice of softer tyres, after 14 laps. He was joined by Alonso and then Hamilton and Raikkonen came in after lap 15.

This left Kovalainen, celebrating his 27th birthday, in the lead for a brief period before he also pitted and Hamilton took command again with Raikkonen second but stuck behind Toro Rosso's heavily-laden Sebastien Vettel.

Out after a swift stop in which he reduced his front wing setting slightly to counter over-steer, Hamilton flew and delivered several rapid laps that extended his advantage to more than seven seconds.

When Vettel pitted, Raikkonen pressed on to cut into Hamilton's lead, but Massa, third, was unable to make much impression. Hamilton's advantage was cut from 7.2 seconds to 6.4 seconds over three laps to lap 28.

But he pulled some of that back before the second round of stops led by Alonso on lap 36.

Hamilton led by 8.9 seconds when he and Raikkonen pitted together at the end of lap 38. By then, unfortunately for McLaren, Kovalainen had already been forced to come in with a front right wheel puncture that effectively ended his hopes of a good finish.

On exit, Hamilton led ahead of Heidfeld's BMW Sauber with Raikkonen third, a buffer that was sure to delay Ferrari's charge in the closing laps.

Hamilton remained unchallenged at the front with a 13-seconds lead and it was left to the Ferrari team to swap places after 49 laps when Raikkonen slowed enough to let Massa pass him on the back straight.

For Massa, who had struggled to stay third, this gifted him two additional points in his title bid and means he can still win the championship in front of his home fans in Brazil next month.

"Lewis was stronger today,'' Massa conceded.

"It was not a good result for the drivers' championship, but not so bad for the constructors and that is good for the team.''

F1GP - Chinese Grand Prix
Pos No Driver Team Time/Retired
1 22 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:31:57.403
2 2 Felipe Massa Ferrari +14.9 secs
3 1 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari +16.4 secs
4 5 Fernando Alonso Renault +18.3 secs
5 3 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber +28.9 secs
6 4 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber +33.2 secs
7 12 Timo Glock Toyota +41.7 secs
8 6 Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault +56.6 secs
9 15 Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso +64.3 secs
10 9 David Coulthard Red Bull +74.8 secs
11 17 Rubens Barrichello Honda +85.0 secs
12 8 Kazuki Nakajima Williams +90.8 secs
13 14 Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso +91.4 secs
14 10 Mark Webber Red Bull +92.4 secs
15 7 Nico Rosberg Williams +1 Lap
16 16 Jenson Button Honda +1 Lap
17 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India +1 Lap
18 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren DNF
19 20 Adrian Sutil Force India DNF
20 11 Jarno Trulli Toyota DNF

Driver Team Pts
1 Lewis Hamilton (GBR) McLaren 94
2 Felipe Massa (BRA) Ferrari 87
3 Robert Kubica (POL) BMW Sauber 75
4 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari 69
5 Nick Heidfeld (GER) BMW Sauber 60
6 Fernando Alonso (ESP) Renault 53
7 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) McLaren 51
8 Sebastian Vettel (GER) Toro Rosso 30
9 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Toyota 30
10 Timo Glock (GER) Toyota 22
11 Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull 21
12 Nelson Piquet Jr. (BRA) Renault 19
13 Nico Rosberg (GER) Williams 17
14 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Honda 11
15 Kazuki Nakajima (JAP) Williams 9
16 David Coulthard (GBR) Red Bull 8
17 Sebastien Bourdais (FRA) Toro Rosso 4
18 Jenson Button (GBR) Honda 3
19 Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Force India 0
20 Adrian Sutil (GER) Force India 0
21 Takuma Sato (JAP) Super Aguri 0
22 Anthony Davidson (GBR) Super Aguri 0

Team Pts
1 Ferrari 156
2 McLaren 145
3 BMW Sauber 135
4 Renault 72
5 Toyota 52
6 Toro Rosso 34
7 Red Bull 29
8 Williams 26
9 Honda 14
10 Force India 0
11 Super Aguri 0

November 03, 2008

LEWIS Hamilton became the youngest Formula One drivers' world champion when he finished fifth in a dramatic rain-hit Brazilian Grand Prix, clinching the title on the final lap.

Hamilton, driving with great control and judgement, and aided by luck, avoided the problems that wrecked his bid to become the first rookie champion last year as he steered his McLaren-Mercedes to glory after a tense contest and an extraordinary final lap.

Only on that amazing final lap did Hamilton regain the place he needed when Timo Glock lost 18 seconds in his Toyota and slipped behind him.

The title had seemed until that moment to be going to hometown hero Felipe Massa, who won the race run in unpredictable wet and dry conditions, but Hamilton's all important fifth place pushed him up to 98 points with Massa on 97.

"I'm speechless," Hamilton said on ITV television after the race.

"That was so pretty close. You guys (his McLaren team) have done an amazing job all season. This is for you and my family. It's pretty much impossible to put into words.

"It's been such a long journey - all the sacrifices we've made, I'm so thrilled to do this for everyone. It was one of the toughest races of my life."

Asked how he felt as he crossed the line, Hamilton said: "I thought 'Do I have it?'. They told me and I was ecstatic. I must thank God.'"

Hamilton's triumph made him first Briton to take the world title since Damon Hill in 1996 and the first McLaren champion since Mika Hakkinen in 1999. He is Britain's ninth champion.

As well as being the youngest champion, Hamilton also became the first black Formula One title holder on a stirring afternoon in front of an impassioned 100,000 crowd at the Interlagos circuit.

Hamilton, 23, drove a measured and calculated race to try to avoid trouble in his McLaren-Mercedes as he claimed the title at the end of only his second season.

He allowed Massa in his Ferrari to run away at the front and claim his sixth win this year and the 11th victory of his career.

Massa was followed home by two-time world champion Fernando Alonso in a Renault and third-placed Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen, who denied Hamilton the world championship in Sao Paulo last year.

German youngster Sebastien Vettel was fourth for Toro Rosso, after passing Hamilton in the final laps, with Hamilton fifth, just, after his late recovery when Glock slowed down and finished sixth.

Hamilton's McLaren teammate, Heikki Kovalainen, finished seventh.

The start was delayed by 10 minutes after a heavy rainfall as the cars assembled on the grid. This enabled all the teams to switch from dry tyres to intermediate wet weather tyres.

Further rain was forecast for midway through the race.

After a further flurry of activity and amid great excitement and anticipation, with the noisy 100,000 crowd showing passionate sport for Massa, the race finally began.

As the lights went out, the cars at the front made a clean departure in order, Kovalainen protecting Hamilton's position.

But there was a minor multiple accident at the rear, which saw David Coulthard, in his final race before retiring from Formula One, and Nelson Piquet jnr, eliminated after crashing.

Coulthard, in his Red Bull, was caught in an Williams sandwich, German Nico Rosberg hitting him and then Japanese Kazuki Nakajima collecting him as he flew off the track.
Piquet in his Renault went off in a separate accident.

This accident brought out the safety car for three laps before the racing began in earnest, Massa streaking clear at the front and Hamilton biding his time in fourth place.

Vettel and Alonso were the first of the leading men to dive into the pits to switch from wet to dry tyres as the circuit conditions improved, veteran Italian Giancarlo Fisichella having shown the way in his Force India.

Fisichella was soon swiftly carving through the field as the rest followed his example, and he rose from 19th on the grid to fifth.

Massa went in for fresh tyres after 10 laps, with Kovalainen, and Jarno Trulli in his Toyota, Raikkonen and Hamilton entered a lap later.

Their stops were swift and clean but, by delaying two laps after their rivals, they were all at a disadvantage.

Hamilton rejoined in seventh place and he struggled at first to regain his rhythm before he passed Trulli and chased after Fisichella. At this stage, Raikkonen was holding up the field behind him to allow Massa to pull clear at the front.

On lap 18, however, Hamilton surged past Fisichella with a bold move at the end of the straight into the downhill turn one. This put him back in fifth, the position that was enough for him to take the title.

Massa enjoyed a dominant spell at the front before he pitted for the second time after 38 laps, handing the lead to Alonso who, in turn, pitted after two more laps, giving Raikkonen the leading position. Hamilton also pitted after lap 40.

By the time the leading group had completed their stops, and the order had settled again, Hamilton was back in fifth behind Massa, Vettel, Raikkonen and Alonso, with Mark Webber sixth.

When Vettel pitted again, after 50 laps, Hamilton moved up to fourth - leaving McLaren to cross their fingers that their car and engine could complete the distance without mishap.

Vettel chased him hard before a rain shower with six laps remaining threw the final laps into chaos, leaving the teams and crowd in suspense as the leaders dived into the pits to change their tyres again.

Glock, on dry tyres that were worn, stayed out and moved up the field ahead of Hamilton pushing him down to fifth in a fight with Vettel, who passed the Briton with two laps to go.

This left the Englishman chasing hard, and he regained the place he needed only when Glock's tyres slowed him so much that he could not withstand his rivals - and Hamilton passed him in the second half of the final lap to finish fifth.

But this move came so late that most spectators and the Ferrari team believed that Massa was champion when he crossed the line their man - but their party ended when someone pointed at the monitor screens.

Hamilton could hardly believe it, and there were tears in both families and both camps just half a minute later.

The previous youngest champion was Alonso, who was 24 years, one month and 27 days old when he won the title in 2005.

Hamilton was 23 years, nine months and 26 days old as he drove to glory on Monday (EDT).

Massa had been hoping to be the first Brazilian champion since Ayrton Senna in 1991.

F1GP - Brazilian Grand Prix
Pos No Driver Team Time/Retired
1 2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:34:11.435
2 5 Fernando Alonso Renault +13.2 secs
3 1 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari +16.2 secs
4 15 Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso +38.0 secs
5 22 Lewis Hamilton McLaren +38.9 secs
6 12 Timo Glock Toyota +44.3 secs
7 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren +55.0 secs
8 11 Jarno Trulli Toyota +68.4 secs
9 10 Mark Webber Red Bull +79.6 secs
10 3 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber +1 Lap
11 4 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber +1 Lap
12 7 Nico Rosberg Williams +1 Lap
13 16 Jenson Button Honda +1 Lap
14 14 Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso +1 Lap
15 17 Rubens Barrichello Honda +1 Lap
16 20 Adrian Sutil Force India +2 Laps
17 8 Kazuki Nakajima Williams +2 Laps
18 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India +2 Laps
19 6 Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault DNF
20 9 David Coulthard Red Bull DNF

November 22, 2008 02:55pm

AUSTRALIAN Formula One racer Mark Webber has been seriously injured when he was hit by a car while competing in his multisport challenge in Tasmania.

Webber, who drives for F1's Red Bull team, was cycling along Fortesque Bay Road, near Port Arthur on the Tasman peninsula, when he and a Nissan X-Trail vehicle collided, Tasmania Police Sergeant Jon Ford said.

Sgt Ford said Webber was competing in his own charity event, the Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge, a 250km challenge using mountain bikes, kayaks and trekking, when the accident happened abotu 12.40pm (AEDT).

"As a result of the collision, the rider, Mark Webber, suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries," Sgt Ford said.

"He was attended at the scene by paramedics attached to the event before being airlifted to the Royal Hobart Hospital."

Sgt Ford said the event was being raced on open public roads and it was not known whether the stage along Fortesque Bay Road was cordoned off specifically for the racers.

The male driver of the Nissan X-trail escaped injury but no further details were known about the motorist, he said.

Webber was competing on the penultimate day of the five-day challenge, which also includes abseiling and whitewater rafting.

December 06, 2008

HONDA'S shock withdrawal from Formula One raises fresh fears over the future of the multi-million dollar sport struggling to keep afloat in the current economic downturn.

Honda Motor president Takeo Fukui made the announcement at an emotional press conference in Tokyo on Friday, apologising to fans, staff, drivers and F1 authorities.

"This is a complete withdrawal. The future is a blank sheet,'' he said. "Five years from now, I think history will show we made the right decision.''

The decision shocked the sport which had already seen backmarkers and fellow Japanese team Super Aguri go the wall earlier this year.

It also sparked new calls for the glamour sport to slash its mind-boggling budgets while the remaining Japanese team, Toyota, hurried out a statement pledging their future to the championship.

"This difficult decision has been made in light of the quickly deteriorating operating environment facing the global auto industry, brought on by the subprime problem in the United States,'' Fukui added.

Honda Racing CEO Nick Fry, however, said he was hopeful that new owners would be found in time for the team to be on the grid for the start of next season in Australia on March 29.

"In the last 12 hours we've had three serious people come to us and suggest they would like to buy the team, so we're still hoping to be there in Melbourne,'' Fry told the BBC.

Drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello were out of contract at the end of the season, but Honda, whose annual F1 budget was believed to be in the region of US$400 million (A$617 million), had been expected to retain them both for 2009.

However, Friday's announcement means they are without a team which could spell the end of the road for Barrichello, the most experienced driver in Formula One history having raced in 271 Grand Prix, winning nine.

"It's just as much of a shock for me as it is for everyone else,'' said 28-year-old Button, who claimed Honda's only GP win at Hungary in 2006 and visited the team's HQ at Brackley in England where around 500 people are employed.

"We need to stay positive and as one team because if we are not, no one will be interested in taking it over.''

Honda first competed in F1 in 1964 and has since clocked up three Grand Prix wins as a full works team. Its engines have also been behind dozens of victories by stars such as world champions Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

The team finished ninth in the constructors championship this season with 14 points. Barrichello achieved the team's best result with a third-place finish at Silverstone.

F1 is generally feeling the pinch with this year's Australian Grand Prix going US$27 million into the red and France axing its race over money worries.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, asked whether F1 was in crisis, replied: "Formula One is in no bigger a crisis than any other company throughout the world - the world is in crisis at the moment.

"But the world won't stop, that's for sure.''

However, Max Mosley, the head of the sport's ruling body, the FIA, insisted Honda's withdrawal dramatically illustrated the need for changes, including the introduction of a cheaper, standardised engine.

"If the teams don't notice now what's happened, you have to abandon all hope for them,'' said Mosley, who dismissed the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) efforts to cut costs.

"The moment where we can make really massive reductions is from 2010, but we have to get through 2009 first.

"We have got to get the costs down not by 10 or 20 percent, but down to 10 or 20 percent of what they are now. I would expect a team to be able to run in the £30-40 million (A$68-90 million) bracket.''

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said he was saddened by developments.

"Unfortunately these things can happen in difficult times like these,'' said di Montezemolo.

"Over the years, we have seen several constructors coming and going in Formula One.''

Meanwhile, Toyota, who haven't won a Grand Prix since joining the sport in 2002, insisted that they are fully committed to the sport.

"Toyota is currently committed to succeeding in Formula One and to reducing our costs,'' said a statement.

"We are contributing to the FOTA activities which will achieve significant cost reductions whilst maintaining the spirit of the sport.''

It is not the first time Honda has quit F1. It withdrew in 1968 to focus on developing compact passenger vehicles.

The Japanese firm returned to the F1 stage as an engine supplier from 1983 until 1992, when race regulation changes and a ban on the use of turbo systems prompted Honda to withdraw again from the competition.

In 2000, Honda made yet another comeback by partnering with BAR, supplying engines and jointly developing the vehicle body. The company took full control of the team from the 2006 season.

December 24, 2008

MARK Webber has admitted some races this year were so boring even the most ardent fan would have nodded off.

And the Australian is not convinced that rule changes for 2009 aimed at making the sport more competitive will have the desired effect.

Webber described the 2008 season overall as a good one for F1, crowned by the nail-biting climax in Brazil when McLaren's Lewis Hamilton clinched the world title with an overtaking move at the final corner.

But he intimated officials had still not hit on a formula which would provide genuinely close racing. "There are many changes next year - slick tyres on the cars and the aerodynamic regulations are very aggressive - and we haven't seen changes like them for many years," Webber told the BBC.

"The main thought behind them is to make overtaking easier. A few races this season could have put even the most hard-core fan to sleep, such was the lack of overtaking, so changes were necessary.

"It's hard to predict exactly what effect they will have."

December 28, 2008

MEXICAN billionaire Carlos Slim, the world's second-richest man, has rescued the Honda Formula One team, Italian newspaper La Stampa has reported.

“The saviour has arrived: Carlos Slim, 67 years old, the second richest man in the world,” the newspaper reported.

“The news is not official as all the details have yet to be formalised. But two things are certain - the team has been saved and the drivers will be Jenson Button and rookie Bruno Senna in place of Rubens Barrichello.”

Honda, believed to have an annual racing budget of around $US400 million ($587.37 million), announced earlier this month that they were pulling out of Formula One as a result of the global financial meltdown.

La Stampa, which did not identify the source of its story, added that Bruno Senna, the nephew of triple world champion Ayrton Senna, is sponsored by Embratel, part of Slim's Telmex group.

Honda first competed in F1 in 1964 and wons three Grands Prix, including Jenson Button's in Hungary in 2006.

The manufacturer's engines were also been behind dozens of Williams victories by stars such as Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

The team finished ninth in the constructors championship this season with 14 points.

Honda Motor also supplied engines and other technical support to Formula One team Super Aguri, which quit due to financial problems in May.

February 05, 2009

FORMULA One star Mark Webber has subjected himself to biting temperatures as low as -90 degrees Celsius in a bid to speed up his recovery from injury.

The Australian is convinced the radical healing process - involving cryogenic treatment - has put him ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation.

Webber, 32, broke his leg in a collision with a car during his Tasmania charity challenge cycling event last November.

He has been racing to be fit for pre-season testing but is confident he will be fully prepared to drive in next month's season-opening Grand Prix at Albert Park.

The late launch of the new Red Bull car, slated for release in Jerez, Spain, next week, has given him some extra time to prepare to test his leg in the cockpit.

Webber believes his new recovery program will be instrumental in helping him catch up on lost time.

"The results over the last few weeks have been incredible," Webber told the Red Bull Racing website.

"We had a really good week last week, so we're really positive ... dare I say it, we're probably a little bit ahead of schedule."

Webber has to endure freezing temperatures in a special cold chamber for set periods of time under the plan.

"I've been doing it for three weeks now," he said. "You go from a normal, ambient room temperature into a chamber of -50F (-45C) for about 30 seconds and then for another three minutes into -130F (-90C).

"It's very good for your general well-being, your immune system and apparently it's good for cellulite. Not much of a worry for me ... but it's very good for the whole body."

However, he admits the final test of his fitness will be when he drives the car.

"Driving is not like playing tennis," he said. "A tennis player can practise before actually playing a game.

"I need to get in the car and go and do it to find out about things like the vibration jolts. Although I may do some karting beforehand."

Webber also strongly rejected reports he would not be completely ready to drive at Albert Park.

"I've really worked hard to get in this position," he said.

"There's been some stuff in the press that I won't be 100 per cent fit for Melbourne which pissed me off.

"I will be 100 per cent ready to do my job."

February 12, 2009

MARK Webber returned into the Red Bull Formula One car for tests having recovered from a broken leg sustained less than three months ago.

"I am very relieved," the Australian said after a morning session of 48 laps in Jerez de la Frontera.

Webber broke his right leg last November 22 when he collided with a car while riding a bike in his own charity event in Tasmania.

He is ahead of schedule in the healing process but still requires light painkillers.

"I will be 100 per cent fit for the start of the season on March 29 in Melbourne," he said.

Red Bull unveiled their 2009 car on Monday in Jerez.

Webber's new team-mate is promising German Sebastian Vettel who said on Tuesday that he liked the new car.

Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz outlined the aims for the season during a visit to the track on Wednesday.

"We want to be ahead in midfield and get close to the two or three top teams.

"Anything worse than fourth or fifth place does not meet the aims of Red Bull racing," Mateschitz said.

February 26, 2009

Williams Formula One team have suffered a huge financial blow when one of their major backers pulled the plug on a deal worth around £10 million ($A22 million) a year.

The BBC said that the ailing Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) will end its agreement as a direct result of the economic downturn.

On Thursday, the RBS is expected to report a loss of up to £28 billion, a record in British corporate history.

Team principal Sir Frank Williams, whose group has been a permanent fixture on the grid for 30 years, said they would battle on.

"RBS has been a great partner for this team and we are grateful for the way that they have handled this difficult situation,'' he said.

"We are in a strong position to ride out the inevitable challenges of the next two years.''

The partnership with between Williams and RBS, which began in 2005, will now conclude when the current contract finishes at the end of the 2010 season.

The move is part of RBS proposals to cut its funding of British sport by half by 2010.

The bank also says it plans to review its sponsorship deals with individuals such as tennis star Andy Murray.

"We recognise that we are now operating in a very different economic environment and have been reviewing all of our activities since October,'' Dr Andrew McLaughlin, RBS group director, told the BBC.

"It is imperative that we respond to the reality of the situation we face and that we do so in an orderly way that respects the commercial agreements we have in place and the implications for our partners and the jobs they support.''

Williams’s title sponsor is telecommunications firm AT and T.

Last month, the RBS said it would extend its sponsorship of the Six Nations rugby union championship for a further four years in a deal worth £20 million.

Williams has won seven drivers titles in its history, but the last was delivered by Jacques Villeneuve in 1997.

In 2008, the team celebrated its 500th Grand Prix, but finished in eighth place in the championship.

March 22, 2009

Australian Formula One star Mark Webber has revealed he will race in the Melbourne Grand Prix with a titanium rod in his leg.

In a brave comeback from injuries suffered in a horror accident late last year, Webber said he would drive with "metalwork" inside his mending leg to keep his dreams of winning his home grand prix alive.

Webber said fighting his way back from a broken leg and shoulder suffered in a freak collision in Tasmania in November was the hardest thing he had ever done. But the setback had motivated him to be fit in time for the Melbourne Grand Prix at all costs.

Webber had screws removed from his leg and shoulder days before stepping into his car for practice last month but said the rest would have to wait.

"I've still got a bit of metalwork in there," he said. "That will stay in there for the season now, I'm not in a position to take it out until the end of the year.

"Even then it still might not be ready in the off-season, so I've got to keep an eye on that."

Despite his rocky road to recovery, Webber declared himself fit and ready for his first race since he was hit by a car while riding a bike.

"I'd never really been injured in my life and I'm a pretty active bloke so the injuries slowed me down quite a lot," he said.

"It was constantly challenging because I was on crutches and I had a broken shoulder as well so there was lots of little hurdles along the way that were with me every part of the day. But they're well and truly gone."

Webber also revealed he drew inspiration from Australian

MotoGP legend Mick Doohan during the darkest hours of his rehabilitation, describing his ability to overcome injury as "phenomenal".

Webber flies into Australia on Sunday, spending time with his family in Queanbeyan before arriving in Melbourne.

Despite his injury battle, he said the thought of not competing in Melbourne never crossed his mind.

"I was always going to be there for Melbourne," he said.