Mark Webber has revealed he suffered a fractured shoulder in a mountain bike crash during the Formula One title run-in.
Fractured shoulder hampered Australian's title charge
Mark Webber has revealed he suffered a broken shoulder in a mountain bike crash during the Formula One title run-in.
The Australian sustained the injury with four grands prix remaining in the season and when holding an 11-point lead over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso at the top of the drivers' standings.
In his book that reviews his championship tilt,
Up Front - 2010, A Season To Remember, Webber in no way blames the injury for missing out on the title. He ended up third, 14 points behind winner, and Red Bull team-mate, Sebastian Vettel.
Remarkably, although Webber has confirmed the need for painkilling injections ahead of the races in Japan and Korea, he decided to keep the injury secret from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Only those close to him, in particular trainer Roger Cleary and FIA chief medical officer Gary Hartstein, were aware of the break.
Accident
"If I thought heading home to Australia ahead of Japan might make life easier, I had another thing coming," wrote Webber.
"On the Sunday morning (a week) before (the Japanese Grand Prix at) Suzuka, I got on a mountain bike for the first time since my accident in Tasmania at the end of 2008.
"I was riding with a great mate of mine. Suddenly, he crashed right in front of me and I had nowhere to go but straight through the ears of the horse!
"I suffered what they call a skier's fracture to my right shoulder.
"Suzuka is a brutal track so it was a blessing the Japanese weather gave me an enforced rest day on the Saturday (as qualifying was postponed due to rain), and a pre-race injection helped, too.
"In the end, we got through the weekend all right."
As Webber remarks, it was his first time back on a bike since his crash in November 2008 when he broke his right leg.
On that occasion Webber also fractured a shoulder, again opting not to reveal details of the injury to the Red Bull hierarchy.
In this instance the injury occurred at a vital point of the year, although he initially performed superbly in Japan where he was a close second to Vettel.
However, Webber then crashed out in atrocious conditions in Korea, losing his championship lead in the bargain to Alonso who went on to win that particular race.
After again finishing runner-up to Vettel in Brazil, the season ended in bitter disappointment in Abu Dhabi where Webber came home a below-par eighth, his worst result for 15 races.
Disappointment
Horner expressed disappointment that Webber felt unable to reveal his latest injury.
"I didn't even know about the book, let alone the shoulder," he said.
"It is obviously disappointing Mark said nothing. It was an injury that did not appear to have any effect on his performance, but all the same it would have been nice to know about it."
Red Bull's team boss also told
The Daily Telegraph: "Our drivers have an obligation to make sure they are fit.
"It seems bikes don't agree with Mark, so maybe it would be better if he stayed away from them."
