Webber's hour and a half cometh

He won again in Brazil later in the season, and now there's a feeling in the air that Webber (pictured) could become the first Australian to win his home grand prix since it's been an F1 event -- that's since 1985. The only others to have even been in the Australian GP field in that time were Alan Jones in an ignominious comeback and David Brabham in uncompetitive machinery.

This will be Webber's ninth F1 start in Melbourne. None has been more memorable than his 2002 debut, when he brought a Minardi home fifth for Australian owner Paul Stoddart. None has been better either. Only equal -- in 2005 he finished fifth again in a Williams-BMW.

Now Webber is in a team and a car that can win races. Indeed, indications are that the Renault-powered Red Bull RB6 car is the best in the field at the minute. Webber's teammate Sebastian Vettel would have won the season-opener in Bahrain if not for a troublesome spark plug that cost him power and dropped him to fourth.

So the car is good. Damn good. The best Webber has had in F1. The excitement that he could win this weekend has built up on the back of the brilliance of this Adrian Newey-designed RB6 -- and the accolades other F1 drivers are bestowing on it. So Webber does have his best shot of winning his home GP this weekend. If not winning then he could be good for a podium.

It is reason for excitement. But there is another side to all of this. Firstly, Webber needs to qualify on the front row of the grid on Saturday to give himself every possible chance in Sunday's race, which -- all going well -- will take about 1½ hours.

It was qualifying that was his undoing in Bahrain. He started sixth after messing up in the second sector on the crucial lap in qualifying. So he started on the third row of the grid, lost two places on the opening lap (indeed, it looked for a moment that, in a pall of smoke, his race may have been over at the first corner) and finished eighth.

There was precious little overtaking in Bahrain and there are fears it might be difficult again in Melbourne, and indeed all season, under rules that have done away with refueling during races and provide only for tyre changes during pitstops. Melbourne has a history of incidents that might give Sunday's race more spice than Bahrain, but there are no guarantees. And certainly no guarantees that any dramas will work in Webber's favour rather than against him.

So it is imperative that he start on that front row. Teammate Vettel most likely will be there. He is something very, very special -- as a qualifier and in races.

While there is, understandably, hope and excitement about Webber's prospects, the reality is that he under-performed in Bahrain and a repeat in Melbourne would greatly harm him. Not that he would be in imminent danger of losing his drive, but the Red Bull bosses would not look kindly on lost opportunities when the car is generally thought to be the best in the sport at the minute.

Inevitably this team is going to revolve around Vettel -- because he was so obviously born with the talent to become a champion, and because -- at just 22 still - he translates that abundant talent into results. Webber is greatly admired within the team and treated well, but he cannot afford to relegate himself to an old-fashioned No. 2. Which is why he needs to do the job well, even brilliantly, this weekend. Victory would be sweet. Second would suffice, especially if Vettel wins.

The Ferraris will be strong again, with Fernando Alonso likely to have the upper hand over Felipe Massa again. McLaren-Mercedes could be stronger too. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have each won here in the past two years and McLaren is the team that has shown itself to be best at improvement over the course of a season.

Mercedes is the team that won, on debut, as BrawnGP last year. At this stage it looks to this author to be fourth among the top four teams. All eyes will be on Michael Schumacher and whether he can again be the driver he was in winning seven world titles.

This author has big doubts about that. And doubts that Schuey's teammate, Nico Rosberg, is the equal of fellow youngsters Vettel and Hamilton, let alone Alonso. The Mercedes package, human and mechanical, may not be quite there this year. Sunday will tell us a lot more.

Remember that V8 Supercars Australia executive chairman Tony Cochrane forecast four new brands in the category -- one low-end, and four high-end -- by 2012. That was a prediction he has since sought to detune.

Stephen Ottley reported here last week that Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Nissan, Audi, Chrysler, Dodge, Skoda, Volkswagen, Honda, Mazda, Porsche and Toyota have all denied plans to go V8 Supercar racing in any official capacity.

Equally noteworthy is a report in this week's Auto Action magazine about the stance of the existing manufacturer participants, Holden (in particular) and Ford. Headlined 'Lion defends its V8 territory', it is a story worth reading a couple of times -- the second time from the bottom up. Because, buried in the second last paragraph, is mention by Holden motorsport manager Simon McNamara that his only meeting with Skaife on the Car of the Future was last August at Queensland Raceway.

That chat appears to have been amicable enough, although it is staggering if there has not been more contact since.

Elsewhere in the story McNamara tells AA editor-at-large Mark Fogarty: "Unofficially we know what to expect, but no one has told us. They don't tell us anything. We're only a manufacturer."

McNamara also maintains Holden's stance that its factory-backed involvement would only continue if the cars remain recognisably production-based.

"If they go away from that, we'll go ahead and do something else. And that's not a threat. That's just reality," McNamara told Fogarty.

Now this is a line that has struck a very raw nerve with V8 Supercars Australia before. Six months ago we reported in the second item here 'The story that V8SA doesn't want read', that when McNamara said this to another journalist, Bruce Newton, the report of it was quickly removed from V8Supercars.com.au

Clearly, and inevitably, there are frictions over the direction of the category. Equally clearly, Holden is much more aggressive than Ford on the issue. Fogarty quotes Ford's new motorsport man, Chris Styring, saying that the Blue Oval backs the idea of introducing, or at least opening up the category to, more makes and models.

Ford's line is that it welcomes competition; it just wants notice of the changes. But McNamara disputes Tony Cochrane's claim in Adelaide two weeks ago that "both manufacturers are supportive".

"That's incorrect. We're not happy about other manufacturers coming in -- but we can't do anything about it," McNamara told AA. Indeed, McNamara said Holden had not been consulted about opening up the category to new manufacturers.

"Holden has had 40 continuous years in the sport and 20 years with HRT (Holden Racing Team), but that doesn't seem to matter. So we're not happy with it," he said. "The worry is that they're doing it to get as many manufacturers as they can without worrying about the ones they have.

"From an operational point of view, we and Ford have not been engaged in any way, shape or form. Which is unfortunate because if we sat down in a room and we had some Ford people and Holden people and the major sponsors, I bet you we would come up with 50 ideas that would help the sport go forward. And we want to see it prosper -- we don't want to see it die."

McNamara expressed particular concern at the possibility of the category adopting a generic, control V8 engine, which Fogarty reported was understood to have been investigated by Harrop Engineering on behalf of V8SA.

"What's the point of us doing it if it's a branded Harrop engine with some panels on it?" McNamara said. "That doesn't give us any cachet. Production car racing does, and some other things do -- and maybe another sport does. The car needs to represent the car we sell, which means doors, headlights, bonnets, everything opens. Looks like the car, feels like the car, etc. and it has to have GM Holden Ltd DNA in that thing."

Monday might bring a surprise or two -- or more. It might take a little longer to see whether the Car of the Future idea can woo any new brands to V8 Supercar racing, but we should know pretty quickly whether it will keep the sport's most loyal manufacturer.

Briscoe will race with the Toll Holden Racing Team at Bathurst and in the new endurance format the Gold Coast in October, but will miss the Phillip Island 500 in September, according to Motorsport eNews. It also reported that Scotsman Dario Franchitti, the reigning IndyCar champion, will join Jim Beam/Dick Johnson Racing at the Gold Coast, while New Zealander Scott Dixon will be with Jack Daniel's/Kelly Brothers Racing.

Must wonder what is going to become of the phenomenon that is Danica Patrick in American racing. She won an Indy race two years ago, in Japan rather than America, and this year is combining a limited stock car campaign with her IndyCar commitments. While she generates the most interest in the Indy Racing League, she finished 15th in the field of 24 in the first race of the series in Sao Paulo won by Power.

She was 35th in her debut in the Nationwide Series, NASCAR's second-tier competition, at Daytona, then 31st in California and 35th at Las Vegas. In the ARCA series that is below the third-tier pick-up truck series she was sixth on debut at Daytona but has not finished higher than 15th since. She won't be back in the Nationwide Series now until late June.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi