Mark Webber once admitted joining nine-time champions was the most ‘costly mistake’ of his F1 career

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Mark Webber had a remarkable racing career, but never achieved every Formula 1 driver’s dream of winning a world championship.

Daniel Ricciardo is the only Australian driver to have taken part in more F1 races than Mark Webber.

Webber made a remarkable Formula 1 debut in 2002, scoring points for minnows Minardi at his home race and being paraded on the podium in front of thousands of excited fans.

He’s still a regular fixture in the paddock as Webber, alongside his wife, manages McLaren driver Oscar Piastri.

Piastri has spoken about the importance of Webber in his career, and the experience he gained as an F1 driver is now being passed on to the current leader of the drivers’ championship.

The 49-year-old, who recorded nine wins and 42 podiums across his career, made some good decisions during his 12 seasons on the grid, but also some poor ones.

In an interview in 2006, Webber admitted one move he made during his career was particularly ‘costly’.

READ MORE: Mark Webber makes Daniel Ricciardo comparison after Oscar Piastri matches his F1 win record

Mark Webber says signing for Williams was a ‘costly mistake’ during his F1 career

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald nearly 20 years ago, Webber was approached about his move to the nine-time F1 champions, Williams.

After racing for Minardi and Jaguar, Webber moved to Williams in 2005, spending two years with the team before moving to Red Bull.

He explained: “Flavio [Briatore] was never keen for me to go to Williams, and I know I made a costly mistake by not listening to him.

“He was very keen for me to go to Red Bull next season, so I wasn’t going to ignore his advice a second time. It’s a joint management decision and one we all think is the best option for my career. We’ve rolled the dice, so now we just have to see how it tumbles.

“I’ve learned that reputations mean nothing – that the past and history does absolutely nothing for you in the present.

“It’s very important to respect things that have happened in the past, but as has been proved in the last couple of years, it is not an automatic guarantee for success.

“Smarter and cleverer people do (and will continue to) come along and do things differently and better. That’s what Formula 1 is all about, and it’s vital you stay ahead of the game to be successful.”

Webber also added: “I think it’s fairly safe to say that I won’t be looking back at my two years with Williams with any fond memories.

“When I signed with the team, I was hoping to stay at Williams for a long, long time, but it wasn’t to be. Frank (Williams) will probably look back at me and think it wasn’t successful either.”

READ MORE: All to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes ties

Why was Mark Webber’s time at Williams in Formula 1 so unsuccessful?

Webber’s move from Minardi to Jaguar after his rookie season made plenty of sense, even if the Ford-backed British team were stuck in Formula 1’s midfield.

He moved on to Williams before Red Bull’s takeover, with Juan Pablo Montoya leaving to join McLaren.

They previously finished fourth in the constructors’ championship, but in 2005, they slipped to fifth despite a flurry of podium finishes, and the following year saw Williams fall to eighth.

The combination of Webber and Nico Rosberg in 2006, on paper, was extremely exciting.

However, the split with BMW, who started working with Sauber, saw the team adopt Cosworth engines with limited success.

Frank Williams hailed Webber as ‘inspirational’ at the start of his spell with the team, via ABC.

Webber was part of a deal that saw Gianfranco Fisichella join Williams for just 24 hours, such were the dealings Flavio Briatore was doing in the paddock at the time.

The Australian might have wished that his spell with the team was as short as Fisichella’s.