The last time an Aussie led the F1 title race

It is fitting Oscar Piastri is the first Australian to lead the F1 title race in 5293 days given he receives the honour from his own gritty manager Mark Webber.

Victory at last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw Piastri shoot past McLaren teammate Lando Norris to the top of the F1 World Championship standings.

It breaks a drought of almost 15 years since Webber was in the thick of a thrilling five-way fight for the 2010 title.

With just three races left, Webber arrived at the Korean Grand Prix enjoying a solid 14-point buffer over Fernando Alonso, only for it to slip away in heartbreaking fashion.

Having taken four famous wins at Spain, Monaco, Great Britian and Hungary earlier in the year, the Australian snatched the championship lead from Lewis Hamilton with a P6 at Monza after the then McLaren driver tangled with Felipe Massa on the opening lap.

Back-to-back podiums at Singapore and Japan saw the Australian extend his advantage over Alonso to 14 points by the time they arrived in Korea.

Ahead of the weekend, Webber was not worried about who his biggest threats were and was simply worried about converting his consistent form into the ultimate success.

“Two weeks ago it (main rival) was Lewis (Hamilton) and now it is Fernando,” Webber said.

“It keeps chopping and changing, but the most important thing is that the gap is going the right way. I need to keep it like that.

“I need to win again in the future and I am very confident I can do that.”

All eyes then turned to the unknown of the new Yeongam where wet weather added to Webber’s challenge of retaining the championship lead at the inaugural Korean Grand Prix.

Australia’s hero had ticked the first box, qualifying on the front row ahead of Alonso.

After 17 laps of negotiating the shockingly wet weather behind the Safety Car, Webber settled into second behind Vettel on the first racing lap before suddenly one mistake changed everything.

The sad sight of Mark Webber’s car covered in mud after the Korean GP. Image: Getty/F1

Webber lost control in the tough conditions coming out of Turn 12 and slid into the outside wall before pinballing across the track and into the path of Nico Rosberg, which left him with race-ending damage.

It was a heartbreaking moment for many watching on TV on Sunday evening in Australia and ultimately proved to be the defining moment of the season.

To rub further salt into the wounds, Alonso took a famous win and stole the championship lead in a 25-point swing with the Ferrari driver now enjoying a 11-point advantage.

Webber put his hand up for the devastating crash.

“I was just understeering wide, got the kerb and then bam! Webber told Auto Action post-race.

“It happened in a flash and I learned that when you get out there the grip was not that good.

“This is motorsport. Fernando hit the white line at Spa.

“Of course a podium would have been nice, but I didn’t get it because you get punished for your mistakes and that was it.”

Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel ready for battle at Abu Dhabi. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

Webber bounced back well, returning straight to the podium with a second place behind Vettel in the penultimate race at Brazil.

This ensured the Australian was still an extremely strong chance to follow in the footsteps of Alan Jones when it all went on the line at Abu Dhabi.

Alonso entered the final race as the favourite, but Webber was still second being just eight points adrift.

Vettel was down in third and with a 15-point deficit to overhaul.

Ahead of the finale, Webber, who was clearly frustrated at the time that he did not enjoy #1 treatment from Red Bull despite being the leader, was simply soaking it all up.

“I think I was not supposed to be in the hunt, so it has been quite inconvenient, but I have enjoyed every minute of it,” Webber said.

“Of course, when young, new charges come on to the block, that is where the emotion is. That is the way it is, which is absolutely fine.”

Later that day Red Bull boss Christian Horner denied such suggestions and said both of his drivers would receive equal opportunity.

“Mark is a great competitor and sometimes feeds off controversy. We have to clearly understand what those frustrations are because it is not evident to us,” Horner said.

Come the deciding race, Red Bull’s young charger did rise to the occasion as Vettel defied the odds with a special drive under the Yas Marina lights.

He converted pole into a crushing 10s victory over the McLaren teammates, which left everyone with a nervous wait to see who the champion would be.

The unlikely figure of Vitaly Petrov ended up playing an unlikely cameo role as both Alonso and Webber got stuck behind the Renault and could only muster seventh and eighth respectively.

As a result, Vettel was in tears as he became the youngest F1 champion after pulling off one of the biggest heists.

Whilst all the attention focused on the young German and Alonso’s near miss, it also proved to be a story of what could have been for Webber.

As the champagne and beer flowed and the music blared to all points of the Red Bull garage celebrating the first triumph for both the team and Vettel, Webber was sitting quietly upstairs with his closest supporters.

Webber was devastated to miss what was ultimately his only title shot, but still had the right mindset.

“I am not going to cut my throat. My life is not over and the sun will come up tomorrow,” he said in the aftermath.

“It was a very tough day, but I did my absolute best.

“When you are within a chance to win the championship at the last race you must be doing something right.

“In the end I am not world champion, but I gave it a real crack.”

Fast forward 15 years Webber is now playing a crucial role behind Australia’s next F1 hero, Piastri.

He is managing the Brighton boy and in just his third season the McLaren star has already won three races to take the points lead.

Australian fans have waited a long time to see one of their own fight for the biggest prize in motorsport and will brace themselves for what could be a roller-coaster of emotions across the next 19 races.

All of them will be hoping the lessons of Webber’s campaign in 2010 can push Piastri over the line in 2025.

Main Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

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