Webber retires from competitive racing

Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber has announced he will retire from competitive racing at the end of the season.

Webber retired from Formula One at the end of 2013 with nine victories to his name, moving to the World Endurance Championship [WEC] where he joined Porsche. While a Le Mans victory has eluded him, Webber won the WEC title in 2015 and has now announced this season will be his last in competitive racing at the age of 40.

"I have arrived where I belong," Webber said. "Porsche is the brand I always loved most and the one that suits me the best. The 911 is iconic – it has got elegance, performance and understatement, and is never intrusive. It is just the right car for every scenario.

"I will miss the sheer speed, downforce and competition, but I want to leave on a high and I’m very much looking forward to my new tasks."

Webber will become a Porsche special representative, with his last race being the Bahrain six-hour race on November 19.

"Mark Webber stands for everything what Porsche implies: sportsmanship, power of endurance, straightforwardness and focused work for success," says Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche. "He is full of beans and always a thoughtful listener. I want to thank Mark for his great performance in the World Endurance Championship and am pleased he will remain tightly connected to Porsche in the future."

Webber has also moved into media work since his retirement from F1, carrying out duties as a pundit for Channel 4's coverage in the UK, as well as conducting podium interviews.

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS: Suzuka

Scene at the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix

Japanese Grand Prix - Quotes of the week

DRIVER RATINGS: Japanese Grand Prix

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.