Webber: “I'm still fighting for the title”

Mark Webber said he is still fighting for the drivers' title but admitted today's qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a blow to his championship hopes. The Australian will start fifth, last among the title contenders, behind Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Fourth, to further upset the Australian's plans, Jenson Button was once again competitive.

“I'm certainly not done for, but being fifth on the grid isn't good,” said Webber at the end of qualifying at Yas Marina. “I'm disappointed for sure but there's still a long way to go tomorrow. The last word has not yet been said. I would have preferred to be further ahead but the pace simply wasn't there."

“We have to be there and finish the race for sure,” added Webber. “Many things can still happen in the race. Things like our performance today don't help but we saw that things can change in the race. The championship won't be decided today but it would have been better to start later. However, at the end of the day we are still fighting and that's what matters."