Mark Webber is hoping a quick turnaround can be the key in getting his Formula One world championship bid back on track.
The Australian veteran suffered a five-position grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change at last weekend’s race in Belgium, his eventual sixth-place finish resulting in teammate Sebastian Vettel leapfrogging him into second place on the title standings.
And after a frustrating weekend where he got nowhere near the pace of Vettel or race-winner Jenson Button, Webber is thankful he gets straight back into action this weekend at the Italian grand prix in Monza.
“Off the back of a weekend where you don’t think you’ve got everything out of it, it’s nice to get straight back into another event,” Webber said.
“I’m feeling a bit disappointed, it would have been good to get a few more points for sure (in Belgium).
“I could have driven better at certain sections of the race and we were strong in parts of the lap where we couldn’t overtake. I’m looking forward to rectifying that missed opportunity.”
The one positive from Spa for Webber was the crash on the opening lap which took championship leader Fernando Alonso out of the race.
It cut the Spaniard’s lead down to 24 points, with Webber now 32 points behind the Ferrari driver.
But the way several drivers such as Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen, Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi made significant gains at Spa shows it won’t just be the big guns that Webber needs to worry about at Monza.
“No one would ever had put money on who qualified highly in Spa,” he says.
“Sauber and Williams looked very competitive and the situation could be similar in Monza. Normally Spa-Francorchamps is a barometer for what to expect in Monza.
“The grid could be very mixed up, so it could be a real scrap.
“With eight races remaining, I need to remain consistent and keep picking up the points. However that is not going to be enough. You need very strong performances that lead to race wins.”
The Italian GP begins at 10pm AEST on Sunday.