Mark Webber feels building the right momentum will be key if he is to battle for the title next year.
Webber hopes for better after disappointing season
Mark Webber feels building the right momentum will be key if he is to battle for the title next year.
Red Bull team-mates Webber and Sebastian Vettel have endured remarkably contrasting campaigns - Vettel claiming his second world title and so far enjoying 13 poles and 11 wins, whilst Webber has yet to lead a single lap, never mind take the chequered flag.
Returning to Abu Dhabi after failing to secure the title last season, Webber said: "Last year was a phenomenal fight for the championship, with many, many highs throughout.
"This year has been very constant, but with not many massive peaks in it, so it hasn't been as nice as last year for me in many ways.
"So the bar is high, which is great. It's what we get out of bed for each day, and when it is that high, it's what you want to be striving for each time.
"If I want to drop the bar I can do that and go and do something else, but I don't want to do that. I want to stay at this level.
"Overall, I'm completely happy. Personally, I'm absolutely fine. Professionally, I've work to do."
Improve
Asked as to where he needed to improve, Webber added: "As usual the devil is in the detail.
"Momentum is a funny thing because if you get some, you get on a roll, and that's what has happened with Sebastian this year. He's had a great run.
"You can make a shopping list of excuses, but no one is interested in those, so you have to do your talking on the track.
"As for me, I started off with the wrong momentum. We know we had a lot of reliability problems at the start of the year.
"We got the car home on Sundays, but it was like pulling teeth at times.
"The trend was set from there. The momentum went very quickly towards Seb and then focusing on bringing the championship out of the team. That's how it goes."
Webber sees no reason why he can't challenge next year.
"If you're challenging very closely in qualifying and are leading after the first few laps, then the races take a different format, so yes, it's possible, very possible," said Webber.
"I see how races are won probably closer than anyone else, in many ways. It's all about fine margins.
"So we just need to dust ourselves down, come back and make sure we are not having depressing press conferences like this."
