19/09/2013
NEWS STORY
Mat Coch writes:
Mark Webber has moved to clarify statements he made in the lead up to the Singapore Grand Prix where he suggested he was lacking the motivation to compete in Formula One.
The Australian announced his retirement over the British Grand Prix weekend but since then has made comments which one could take to mean he is having second thoughts. Not so, according to Webber.
"You're not going to finish your career if you're loving all aspects of the work," he said. "So for me to say 'yeah the motivation has been tricky', that's part of it, another small part of the decision.
"I'm absolutely completely happy with my decision," he continued. "I am not regretting anything about retiring at the end of the year."
Sweeping regulation changes set to be introduced next season were another of the reasons Webber ultimately elected to move to the World Endurance Championship with Porsche for 2014, preferring a change of scenery along with a new challenge.
"I don't want to have another winter in Jerez," he joked. "I want something different.
"If the regulations were similar next year maybe I would have made a different decision but I knew they weren't.
"We knew there was a big change, so why not do the big change where my future is going to be."
For now Webber says he is both focussed and motivated on seeing out his Formula One career in style.
"I'm using every trick I can now to stay motivated for another few months, that's not too much of a challenge, but you are now using all of those things to finish as strongly as possible.
"I still want to do bloody well, that's important to me. It would be nice to hit the middle step before the year's out for sure and there's no reason why we can't.
"There's never a bad place to win," he grinned.
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