We would have had a better result but...: Mark Webber

Red Bull’s Mark Webber tells Rajesh Pansare that they have been working round the clock to be their dominant best again.

Are you happy with the fourth-place finishes in the first two GPs of this season?
I’m reasonably satisfied with the way I’ve started the season, even though the team has not been as strong as it was in the last two years. The two races so far have not really given us a full form guide.

What are the positives you take from the first two races as you start your quest for an elusive drivers’ championship?
There are still plenty of positives for us. We would have had a better result but there were some inspired performances in front of us and you have to take your hats off for those guys (race winner in Malaysia Fernando Alonso and second-placed Sergio Perez). When you are in a position to roll the dice a bit, you can sometimes get a double six and those guys did that in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

There are six world champions in fray this season. How difficult will it be for you to stake your claim for the title?
There are some big opponents out there. With six world champions on the grid, it will just get more interesting to see how each one fares.

The first two races show McLarens have an advantage over Red Bulls. What will it take to bridge the gap?
We have shown good race pace, but we know we need to make a step in qualifying. In order to evaluate our most recent upgrades, the team ran two different specifications of the RB8 in China on Friday, based on feedback and preference shown by Sebastian (Vettel) and me. I tested an updated evolution of the set-up used for the Malaysian GP, while Sebastian ran a pre-season specification. The team then compared the results.

Besides McLaren, who will be the strong challengers to Red Bull?
The two main challengers to Red Bull besides McLaren will be Ferrari and Mercedes.

Do you think Red Bull have to arrest the situation as soon as possible or the season may slip away from them?
We feel confident in the car and the entire team at Red Bull has been working round the clock to reach the front as only then can we, at Red Bull, be fully satisfied. The Formula One season has 20 race weekends and we are in the early stages of the 2012 season. Red Bull is not the only team that has not been able to show its true potential, Mercedes and Lotus are also quite competent with a lot more pace yet to come. Mercedes have come away empty-handed despite showing some strong pace, and Lotus have also got some speed in their car but have not quite delivered the results they’re capable of. This can happen when everyone’s a bit raw in the early races of the season.

What’s your opinion on travelling to Bahrain, considering fresh anti-government violence?
If I have a choice, I want to race and I would like to go there and do that. But you cannot ignore the fact that there are a lot of good people in our sport and all of them want it to go down smoothly and don’t want to be involved with the situation that’s out there.