If there’s any driver who knows how it feels to be the ironclad number two at Red Bull, it’s Mark Webber – one of the most talented F1 drivers to come out of Australia, who spent almost his whole time in Sebastian Vettel’s shadow.
There were tense moments between Webber and Vettel at Red Bull. At times, even when he was the quicker driver, the team prioritized the German, which made his time at the Milton Keynes-based squad difficult to deal with. But all in all, he was a great deputy to Vettel—helping Red Bull win four consecutive world championships between 2010 and 2013—and understands the importance of performing well at such a demanding team.
That’s precisely why Webber agrees with Red Bull’s decision to send Liam Lawson back to Racing Bulls.
The race isn’t over
Liam Lawson will be back in a familiar look at the Japanese Grand Prix#F1 pic.twitter.com/Kz9zIR6bRl
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 27, 2025
The Kiwi driver got promoted to the Austrian outfit during the winter break after his six cameo appearances for the Faenza-based outfit in 2024, and there was hype surrounding him. After some abysmal performances in the opening two rounds, Red Bull felt that they couldn’t afford to give Lawson time to improve.
However, Webber is certain that the demotion is good for Lawson. “He needs the vice released,” the Aussie said on the Formula for Success podcast.
“Because he’s gonna have the chance to cool his jets a bit, going back to the ‘smaller team’ where he’s got some experience with already, as we know. He’s only got two races with the ‘big team’.”
Webber also spoke about Red Bull’s RB21 being quite difficult to drive. He noted that Lawson’s inability to get close to Max Verstappen—the only driver who, according to Webber, can extract acceptable lap times from the car—was hurting Red Bull’s championship chances. However, he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to Lawson’s successor, Yuki Tsunoda.
Red Bull are hopeful Yuki Tsunoda’s experience could help benefit the performance of their RB21 #F1 pic.twitter.com/VuAniyTevM
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 27, 2025
“If Yuki doesn’t fire up in his other car, what happens then?” he added. “What happens if they’re all on the ropes? That’s gonna be a very interesting dynamic.”
Red Bull finds itself in a tricky situation with Tsunoda. On one hand, there is optimism about his performances at Red Bull, with many believing he may thrive against Verstappen. But if he doesn’t—something Webber worries about—they don’t have any proven talent in the pipeline to replace him. Certainly not someone from Australia.
Webber’s Australian curse: Running joke or harsh reality?
Webber had to deal with his share of internal politics while at Red Bull. Yes, he won nine Grands Prix with the Austrian team. But it could have been ten—perhaps even more—had Vettel not thrown Red Bull’s multi-21 order out of the window.
In Malaysia 2013, Webber was leading Vettel and on the verge of victory. Red Bull had issued the Multi-21 team order, instructing both drivers to hold positions to preserve their tires. However, Vettel ignored the directive, attacked Webber, and snatched the win.
Webber was understandably furious.
Multi 21 pic.twitter.com/pilmATHnBv
— F1 To Rule Them All (@F1RulesMedia) April 30, 2022
In his post-race interview, Webber publicly called out Red Bull, accusing the team of favoring Vettel—a move many believe permanently soured his relationship with them. Meanwhile, the F1 community, known for its superstitions (the Leclerc Monaco Curse or the Nico Rosberg Curse), speculated that Red Bull had been struck by the Webber Curse after his departure.
Since then, no non-Australian driver has been able to establish themselves as a stable number two at Red Bull. Ricciardo, an Australian like Webber, held his own, but after his departure in 2018, the team has struggled to find a worthy successor. Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, and now Lawson have all fallen short.
So, is the Webber Curse real or just another wild F1 conspiracy?
