Sixteen years ago today, on 11 July 2010, Mark Webber delivered one of the most memorable radio messages in F1 history, a line that has echoed around the paddock ever since.
After leading all 52 laps of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Webber's response to Christian Horner's congratulations was dripping with sarcasm: "Fantastic guys. Not bad for a number two driver, cheers."
The Australian had every reason to feel aggrieved. In the build-up to qualifying, Red Bull had physically removed a new-specification front wing from his car and fitted it to Sebastian Vettel's RB6 after the German's version failed during final practice.
The team justified the decision on the grounds of championship position, with Vettel sitting ahead of Webber in the standings, and Adrian Newey's desire to collect data on the upgraded part.
The optics were dreadful. Just weeks earlier, the pair had collided while fighting for the lead at the Turkish Grand Prix, and taking a visible upgrade off one driver's car to hand it to the other only deepened the suspicion that Vettel was being favoured within the team.
Mark Webber
Webber lets his driving do the talking
In the end, Webber needed nothing more than the old-spec wing. He jumped Vettel at the start, who then suffered a puncture after contact with Lewis Hamilton and dropped to the back of the field, eventually recovering to seventh. Webber cruised to a comfortable 1.3-second victory over Hamilton, with Nico Rosberg completing the podium.
After the race, Webber did not hold back. "Yesterday I wasn't happy, clearly. I'm sure we'll have some pretty decent chats tomorrow," he told the press conference.
Asked whether the wing swap was fair, he was blunt: "No, I don't think it should. Obviously I wasn't massively in favour of the decision, but that's the way it goes sometimes."
He went further, questioning whether he would have re-committed to the team had he anticipated such treatment.
"Honestly, I would never have signed a contract again for next year if I believed that that was the way it was going to be going forward," Webber said.
Even more revealing was a sardonic anecdote about the pre-race parade lap. "Some of the drivers offered me some front wings from their cars on the parade lap, but I said I would stick with what I've got," he added.
"Seb didn't, but some of the other guys tried to offer me a front wing."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Nick Golding and Samuel Coop as they look back on last weekend's British Grand Prix! They discuss whether the title fight has been blown wide open, if Ferrari is a genuine contender and Max Verstappen's major criticism of the RB22.
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..











Join the conversation!