Ritter v4.0

Here let me be negative too.
He can join the list list of former F1 also-rans in WEC that show no more talent than other less prominent but more experienced endurance drovers they compete against. I presume these F1 guys don't come cheaply either.
Personally I'd look elsewhere (Blancpain Ensurance Series par example).

winders

Webber drove for Mercedes-AMG in FIA GT and was at the wheel twice when CLR's flipped. He has more than enough endurance racing experience.

You can be assured that Webber has the talent to drive for Porsche and he will generate a ton of publicity for Porsche's Le Mans effort.

Scott

perfectlap

OH-KAY...

I'm no Webber fan but this post is past the line. First of all Webber has won 2 of the last five Monaco Grand Prix. The ultimate F1 test of driver skill that separates the hacks and pay drivers from the real drivers. Remind me again who was his team mate when he stood at the top of the podium twice?
Webber may very well go down as the reason why Vettel does not join Senna and Hill as the quickest to have become a 5x's Monaco GP winner. If SB even becomes a 5x's winner in the first place, he's not going to have the best car forever.

Flying Finn

I'm also one of those who think this is a good fit for both parties.

Mark is good when you don't have to be so on the limit, not to mention ROLLING STARTS!
Going endurance is exactly the right thing for him, he can keep driving for next 15-20 years with the pace that suits him better.
For Porsche, they get fast and very experienced driver who no doubt will be good combination with some of their younger guys.

As far as Kimi & Red Bull... Good match but a lot depends on how Lotus does, and I'm not sure though if RB necessary wants Kimi's caliber guy there though.

Ritter v4.0

That was 15 years ago- heck if I'd been teamed with Bernd Schneider i bet I could have done well. Ok probably not.
Its not personal, as I actually like Webbo offtrack but on-track not so much. I thinks some of his decisions are questionable at best. Put that to test over 24 hrs in the rain at LeMans and I think there could be issues. Guess we'll see.
Personally, I would have gone with a younger (but with lots of endurance experience), less flamboyant drover.. I'd have tested Pat Long for example.

perfectlap

p.s.
Kimi at Redbull is going to be either a big problem for Alonso or his best shot at finally winning a WDC with Ferrari, the whole reason why he's making 3X's or whatever of what Vettel is paid by Redbull.
Kimi is no way a #2 driver, he's a better racer than Vettel by a long way (Germans seem to crack under pressure when facing Finns/Brazilians/Spaniards/Colombians/Brits/Finn-Germans/etc.). Shoe-horning Kimi into a #2 role will not end well. On the other hand if Kimi turns out to be faster, and Redbull decides winning is more about plowing $$$ into the wind tunnel rather than the driver's Swiss bank account, then Vettel may be looking for a new job at McLaren soon. If the Redbull is the best car Kimi will have no probelm scoring WDC #2.

kosmo

KImi at RBR will certianly be entertaining. I hope to hear/see:
From Race control to Kimi: "Kimi, slow down. we dont want you to cut into Vettel's lead."
Kimi: "Go F yourself. I know what I'm doing!"

I wonder what P is paying Webber.

Cogito_Ergo_Zoom

Assuming Porsche is running two LMP1 cars next year (has this been confirmed?), that means that there are two race seats left now. Pat Long should get one of those. He definitely deserves it. And I think it would be a huge marketing fail for Porsche in the US if he doesn't.

Going to be a lot of jockeying going on internally for those last two seats...

Cory M

It will be interesting to see how Webber handles all of the traffic and amateur drivers at Lemans...

ltc

I think RBR has always stated that the #1 goal, without exception, is to win the Constructor's championship. That pairing, combined with Newey and the rest of the team, would be fantastic towards that goal.

In all honesty, I don't think the team would care if Vettel or Kimi won the WDC. It would be a great show, no question.

ltc

Past what line?

I'm not a big Weber fan. He has a propensity to "make his car wide", he can't master a standing start to save his life, and he was given the opportunity and equipment necessary to win the WDC, but screwed the pooch in Korea, allowing Alonso to take the points lead, only to screw the pooch and allow Vettel to win the WDC.
Yes, Weber was a consistent #2 driver (based on talent, it would be hard to make the case that he ever could have been a #1 at RBR) and contributed greatly towards the 3 consecutive WCC, and won some races along the way.

Good F1 career, now it's time to leave, and there's no crying in F1.

leejo

+1

Larry L

At 36, it's time. I hope he can redeem himself at Porsche and win a few races.

He'd be a great teammate for Patrick.

JustinL

Long, Dempsey, or Pilet?

Cogito_Ergo_Zoom

Dempsey?