According to Mark Webber, Australian motorsport has never been better
The presence of Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan at the top of the motorsport world is a good indicator of the position of Australian motorsport for Mark Webber. These two have shown impressive performances in the feeder series and are gradually making a name for themselves in the elite world of Formula 1.
Australia is one of the nations that have been dominating the promotion formulas’ podiums in recent years. The recent move of Oscar Piastri to McLaren in Formula 1 as a regular driver and Jack Doohan’s second season in Formula 2 demonstrate that the next generation is emerging for one of the historic nations in F1. Oscar Piastri will participate in his first season as a regular driver in the premier discipline in 2023, he will be alongside Lando Norris at McLaren.
Promotion formulas require enormous amounts of money to be competitive and leave no room for error for young drivers. Oscar Piastri has understood the necessity of making an impression by quickly winning races when entering a category. The young Australian driver consecutively won championships leading up to Formula 1 during his rookie seasons (Formula 3 and Formula 2).
On his side, Jack Doohan made a strong impression by winning three times in his first season in Formula 2. This surely makes Mark Webber, now a television consultant, proud, who was the only Australian driver on the grid in his time.
“We have a pretty good group of young people coming up and obviously the junior categories are difficult to break into and stay in,” Mark Webber says.
With Oscar in Formula 1 and Jack in Formula 2, there are also good young drivers coming up in karting, Formula 4, and Formula 3. It’s incredible how Australian motorsport is currently in a good period,” affirms the former Red Bull driver.
The last Australian representative to compete in Formula 1 and win races is Daniel Ricciardo. The man with a constant smile has 8 victories to his name as well as 32 podium finishes.
The Australian Grand Prix is still part of the Formula 1 World Championship and its commitment has been extended through a contract that ensures its presence in the calendar until at least 2037.
