Australian Formula 1 driver Mark Webber has had an uncomfortable start to his time with team Red Bull. Since joining from Williams at the end of the 2006 season, Webber has been struggling to fit comfortably into the RB3 car during testing.
“I would definitely like to be more comfortable,” he said. “I would not have liked to race the way the seat was. It seems a lot better now. We’ve done a new seat and flattened things to get me into the car better. We’re trying to get me comfortable. The car is pretty tight in places!”
At 1.84 metres tall, Webber is one of the taller drivers in Formula 1. The RB3 is the first car designed for the team by Adrian Newey. Newey’s previous cars have also been a tight fit for taller drivers – in 2005, Newey has to redesign part of the McLaren car to allow Alex Wurz (the then test-driver) to fit comfortably.
Meanwhile, Red Bull seem to be having other troubles too. The team has failed to impress during testing, and their head of R&D (Controls and Development) Anton Stipinovich has just quit, having been with the team for exactly one year. Stipinovich had a solid reputation having already worked for McLaren and Ferrari, and although the outfit is putting a brave face on his departure, his departure has not come at the easiest of times for the Milton Keynes based outfit.
