Porsche’s LMP1 vice-president Fritz Enzinger says that Mark Webber’s influence on the development of the German marque’s successful world championship sportscar chapter should never be underestimated.
Enzinger believes the Australian will forever be embraced as a member of the Porsche motorsport family.
Webber, 40, will retire from active competition after this weekend’s final round of the World Endurance Championship in Bahrain before taking up an initial five-year role as a Porsche ambassador.
Enzinger was working for BMW when he met Webber in 2005 when he as driving for the Williams-BMW F1 team.
Six years later Enzinger moved to Porsche and soon after he bumped into Webber at an F1 event, where a long term plan was hatched.
“He (Webber) told me ‘after F1 I come to you at Porsche’,” Enzinger told Speedcafe.com.
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“First of all I thought it was a joke, but it was not a joke.
“After this we had a lot of meetings together, including one at Red Bull in Salzburg.
“After this we had absolutely a new team – it was nothing, no buildings, no personnel.
“We started with nothing and with Mark.”
Since then the Porsche 919 Hybrid program has gone on to win to the last two Le Mans 24-hour events and World Endurance Championship manufacturer’s and driver’s titles.
Webber was rewarded with his first WEC title last year, his first professional gong in a long and dignified career.
“When you become a part of the Porsche family you are part of it forever,” Enzinger said.
“When you win Le Mans for Porsche it is incredible.
“I won at Le Mans with BMW in 1999, but to win with Porsche last year was very different.
“It was old time. There was so much team spirit and one of the great things.
“I can see Mark being a part of the Porsche family forever.”
Still as fast as anyone in the field, Enzinger indicated he was keen to extend Webber’s contract in 2017, but respected the Australian’s decision to call it a day.
“Mark for me is a big personality and also a fast driver,” said Enzinger.
“He knows it is the right time (to retire). He is 40 and the season is not just nine races, it is a lot of testing and whatever.
“Just like in Formula 1 it is the right point. He said ‘thank you’.
“The next step was for us to have him as a Porsche ambassador – it was perfect.
Enzinger was non-committal when asked whether Webber could find himself behind the wheel of a Porsche at selected test days as part of his new responsibilities in 2017.
“For me, Mark is a friend,” said Enzinger.
“Ok I am the boss and I am responsible for the team, but he has been so important for me. If I need to know more about the car, the engineers or whatever, I could call Mark and it was perfect.
“We will worry about 2017 and what it looks like after this weekend.”
While Enzinger was full of praise for Webber, he would not be drawn into who would be announced as his replacement, with last year’s Le Mans 24 Hour winners Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber the hotly-tipped front-runners.
The driver market has changed significantly in recent weeks with the announcement that Audi would no longer be a part of WEC in 2017.
It is still uncertain where currently-contracted Audi drivers will be placed after this weekend.
“At the moment we are just concentrating about Bahrain, everything else we will worry about after,” said Enzinger.
“In the next two or three weeks we will worry about driver line-ups and everything for 2017.”
Enzinger was also firm on the fact that Audi’s announcement to withdraw from sportscar racing at the end of this season, had no effect on Porsche’s position, despite the two marques being a part of the Volkswagen Group.
“It is difficult and it is really sad,” Enzinger told speedcafe.com of the Audi departure.
“I have known Wolfgang Ullrich (Audi motorsport boss) for more than 20 years. He was a really successful manager.
“Now this situation is really heavy, but it’s so new – just a month since the announcement that Audi was dropping out.
“It was a good fight and we have had some good races, but this is the decision from the board and that’s it.
“Nothing has changed for us (Porsche).”
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