Current WEC and former Formula One driver Mark Webber has confirmed he’ll retire after the WEC season finale in November, but will stay on with Porsche.
Mark Webber will end his racing career after the World Endurance Championship season finale on Nov. 19.
The defending WEC drivers’ champion, along with teammates Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard, is not going too far afield. Per Autosport he’ll then become a “special representative” for Porsche, for whom he has driven since 2014.
Webber, Hartley and Bernard are currently fourth in the 2016 WEC drivers’ championship ranking and will be going for their fourth consecutive LMP1 class victory in this weekend’s WEC Six Hours of Fuji.
The Australian told Autosport that “I’ve arrived where I belong.”
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“Porsche is the brand I always loved most and the one that suits me the best,” Webber continued. “I will miss the sheer speed, downforce and competition, but I want to leave on a high and I’m very much looking forward to my new tasks.”
When Mark Webber retires next month, he’ll leave behind not only three seasons of WEC handiwork but more than a decade in Formula One.
The open-wheel world was where Webber made his name. He raced for four teams – Minardi, Jaguar, Williams and Red Bull – before deciding to retire from F1 competition in 2013.
He racked up nine victories between 2002 and 2013, beginning with the 2009 German Grand Prix and concluding with the 2012 British Grand Prix.
And while he never won the F1 World Championship, he finished third three times – in 2010, 2011 and again in that final season.
He also finished second overall in last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Hartley and Bernhard, coming in a lap behind Porsche teammates Nick Tandy, Earl Bamber and Nico Hulkenberg.
“It was a big change from Formula 1 to LMP1 and an entirely new experience,” Webber reflected. “But it came at the right time for me. I found I liked sharing a car and the chemistry between Timo, Brendon and me is special and something I’ll always remember.
“It will be strange getting into the race car for the very last time in Bahrain,” he added, “but for now I will thoroughly enjoy every moment of the remaining races.”
The 2016 WEC schedule has three more events left on it: Fuji, the Six Hours of Shanghai on Nov. 6, and Bahrain.
Webber’s racing career ultimately spans more than two decades. He made his professional debut in 1994 in the Australian Formula Ford Championship, and went on to leave an impact in not one but two major racing leagues.
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