A former F1 driver, Mark Webber has competed in more than 200 Grand Prix throughout his career and finished third three times in the World Endurance Drivers Championship. He has maintained a strong friendship with two-time F1 World Champion, Fernando Alonso, who will take on the Indianapolis 500 at the end of this month and who dreams of doing the 24 Hours of Le Mans: "Fernando (Alonso, Ed.) loves challenges and is looking to try something new. But, he has time to do the 24 Hours of Le Mans. At 35 years old, he is still young and has no need to rush into anything as he has a good 10 years ahead of him at this point. The Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans are such difficult races to win, there are a lot of traps. It's a real lottery and the 'talent' factor is not the only thing that comes into account. Can Fernando Alonso win both? I would say yes, but there are still a great deal of variables to consider."

The former official Porsche driver in endurance racing has competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times, three with the German marque. His best result was when he finished second with his two teammates, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley (#17 Porsche 919 Hybrid, Ed.) at the 2015 edition: "I would have loved to win at Le Mans. I was close to doing it a few times, every year I found myself in the lead, but it just didn't happen. I did everything I could to get there, I could have gone on another three or four years and not made it. Last year, I ran faster than any other driver in the Porsche 919 Hybrid and it still didn't make the difference. It doesn't stop me from sleeping at night, but I would have liked to win. It's a race that chooses its winner. Look at someone like Tom (Kristensen, nine-time winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ed.), it's just incredible what he was able to accomplish. But, it's not a race I dreamed about when I was growing up."

Mark Webber is watching closely the battle between Porsche and Toyota, the two manufacturers entered in the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) in the LMP1 class, and has his own opinions about the upcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans: "Nothing is decided! It's very close between Toyota and Porsche, it's just amazing! It's like the previous years when there were three manufacturers, it's very impressive. This year, Le Mans will once again be a fantastic event. You'd like to see 20 LMP1s, but is that possible? No! There are five magnificent cars, like the Porsche 919 Hybrid, set to do battle for the win. We need to have this type of car as a reference. We have to find a way to preserve them. There have been past editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans where there was no heightened battle like this on the track and I don't want that kind of scenario. It wouldn't be fun for you or for me, so to be able to ask oneself this type of question, 'who will win Le Mans this year?' is a good thing. There is a competitive level between the two manufacturers, but at the same time to have one more in the mix in the future would be good."

The Australian driver, who will be celebrating his 41st birthday in August, also gives his thoughts on the use of a hybrid system: "It's a good thing, it's always positive to keep the engineers inspired. Motorsports is important and technology is a crucial part of that. I admit I was skeptical regarding the hybrid system before I drove the Porsche 919 Hybrid, but I changed by mind. The car has a lot of power, horsepower, it is just incredible, it's unimaginable."

Mark Webber spent a lot of time this past Saturday with Porsche in LMGTE: "GT is absolutely critical for Porsche and its highly important history in this class. The Porsche 911 has definitely been the most brilliant in terms of success in competition. The label World Endurance GTE Champion, to be awarded this year for the first time ever, is really something great. Consistency is the key in this class. There are a lot of constructors entered and they have great drivers. It's a win-win, status is elevated, the championship earns prestige, the GTE class is very alluring and, as a result, the constructors must seek out the best drivers."  

Photo (Copyright - Laurent Cartalade/VSA): Mark Webber posing with the Porsche 911 RSR entered in the LMGTE Pro class.