04/07/2005
NEWS STORY
WilliamsF1 today praised a gutsy Mark Webber following the French GP
Mark Webber's FW27 was an extremely uncomfortable place to be during last weekend's Grand Prix at Magny-Cours
A failure of a small component in the cockpit left the driver exposed to air temperatures of up to 80 degrees C for a protracted period of the race
Mark's hip suffered burns as a consequence, which were treated by a doctor at the trackside after the race
Williams praised Webber's guts in sticking to his job despite the heat - "He showed real Aussie grit and got on with the job despite circumstances that would, I'm sure, have seen most of the other drivers on the grid quit," said a spokesman
He continued "We weren't as a team having the best of weekends which made Mark's commitment all the more remarkable, but his attitude is representative of the whole team - we are 100% committed and if you have the courage to stick to your game plan, it can pay dividends"
For his part, Webber said at the Williams factory today, "Yes, it was pretty uncomfortable, but i got through it because I wanted a qualifying slot next weekend at Silverstone. It hurts a fair bit, but there's no question of it stopping me racing next weekend, no way"
The fault was identified at the track last weekend and a solution is in place for next weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.