Mark Webber, AO

World Sports Car Champion/9x F1 Grandprix wins

For Mark Webber, the Twitter handle says it all – Aussie Grit.

That sums up the attitude that inspired a teenager from Queanbeyan to chase his racing dreams from karting to Formula Ford and then the heady heights of being a Formula 1 Grand Prix winner.

Webber followed a traditional route in his early career – karting, Formula Ford and the British Formula 3 Championship and Le Mans sportscars – including that famous high speed back-flip — with Mercedes-Benz.

The F1 chance came in 2002 with Paul Stoddart’s Minardi team and delivered instant results – a famous fifth place in the 2002 Australian GP at Albert Park.

But it would be another seven years – following stints with Jaguar and Williams – before Webber found his way to winning with Red Bull Racing.

In a 12-year career spanning 215 F1 races, Webber stood on the top step of the podium nine times including double victories in the prestigious Monaco and British Grands Prix.

Three times he finished third in the World Drivers Championship.

A long-held ambition of an FIA world championship came in 2015 when he won the World Endurance Championship with the factory Porsche sportscar squad.

Webber is the personification of what we like most in our sportspeople – easy going, humble with sense of fair play and an indomitable spirit to compete.