Porsche engineered a perfect send off for Mark Webber by allowing him to bring home a podium finish in the final round of the World Endurance Championship in Bahrain.
Webber was handed the keys to the #1 Porsche 919 Hybrid 35 minutes from the end of the 6 Hour race which brought an end to a glittering 26-year career that included nine Formula One victories.
In a rare event for Webber to drive the final stint, the 40-year-old finished third behind the pair of factors Audi R18s to claim the final trophy in professional motorsport.
“The boys were pretty keen for me to finish the race,” Webber told Speedcafe.com.
“It meant a lot to me to close it off.
“The amount of emotion, bloody hell.
“The worst part was putting the helmet on, not taking it off.”
Webber acknowledged an emotionally-charged day which saw Audi end an 18-year commitment to sportscar racing with a 1-2 finish and the #2 Porsche of Marc Leib, Romain Dumas and Neel Jani collect the drivers’ championship.
“For me, in the end it has been very, very special for us to have the results we have had with our car,” said Webber, who now starts life as a Porsche global ambassador.
“We have a special car and that has come through a special relationship with Timo (Bernhard) and Brendon (Hartley).
“What is clear is that, most of the time, we got the maximum out of the #1 car and the #17 last year.
“I will never forget Porsche’s welcome to drive the cars. It has been a real honor.
“The WEC is a family and is a lot different to the previous category I was in.”
Webber was also mindful of Audi’s long-term achievements and the efforts of his team’s sister car which clinched the drivers’ championship.
“First of all congratulations to Audi who have given so much to this category over the years,” said Webber.
“They were the benchmark when we came in and for them to have a victory on the way out is quite fitting.
“Also to our sister car and Neel (Jani), Romain (Dumas) and Marc (Lieb), you have worked hard through the year and congratulations on the world title.”
The team Webber managed to build around him at Porsche was evident when his co-drivers German Timo Bernhard and young Kiwi Brendon Hartley had the chance to speak in the post-race media conference.
“Like everyone else, I am quite emotional right now,” said Hartley.
“We are losing our team-mate.
“He has become my best mate and a true team player who we are going to miss.
“It was hard when he told me he was going to leave and retire.
“In a way I had a feeling, but I guess it is like a girlfriend dumping you I was trying to avoid the question. I think he actually tried to tell me many times in fact.
“We will continue the spirit and keep plenty of the “Aussie Grit” and “Webber Language” going.”
While there was a lot of hype during the day with Audi’s last appearance and Porsche attacking the drivers’ championship, Bernard said he only had one focus.
“Today for us was all about Mark,” said Bernhard.
“He lifted the whole team when he joined Porsche and was the biggest ingredient for me when it came to our success over the last two years.
“I will never forget these three years and the fun times we had.”
Webber closed off the official racing part of his career and summed up how comfortable he is with his decision to retire with a parting quote.
“That’s all they wrote as they say – off to the bar,” he said.
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