SINCE retiring from racing Mark Webber now manages one of Formula E’s hottest prospects in the shape of New Zealand prodigy Mitch Evans.
The 23-year-old has been mentored by the Australian and has lived with the former F1 star in Buckinghamshire while aiming to carve out a career in motor sport.
This was a great opportunity for the Jaguar driver to learn from one of the most experienced racers in F1, with Webber claiming nine victories and an impressive 42 podiums during his career.
Not only was Evans picking Webber’s brain about circuits, but also the experienced 41-year-old helped his young starlet adapt to life in England.
Evans bravely sacrificed everything to move halfway around the world in a 11,600-mile journey when he was just 16 to pursue a career in F1.
Speaking to SunSport, Evans said: “I have been with Mark since 2011, he was the one who brought me over from New Zealand and I’m the first driver he has ever managed.
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A post shared by Mitch Evans (@mitchevans_)
“I used to live with him for many years in England and that relationship is still going and he’s been a great help to me.
“I met him in 2009, I was racing in a support category at the Australian GP and I got a chance to meet him.
“I got a garage tour and we got on really well and from there he got in contact the next year and it all blossomed from there.
Mark Webber’s F1 career in numbers
- 215 races
- 9 wins
- 42 podiums
- 0 titles
- Best championship finish: 3rd, three times
“It was great, I was starting my junior Formula 1 career in Europe. I trained with him every day, we did all our preparation together, travelled to the races together. Because all my races were at F1 events – so it worked out really well.
“Obviously he has been in it for many years, he comes from my part of the world.”
Evans gave an insight into the difficulties he faced when he moved over to England at such a young age, leaving everything behind in his hometown of Auckland.
He added: “A lot of people from Europe don’t understand that to make the job for us is very big. Financially, the lifestyle – you have to sacrifice a lot.
“I left school early to move over to Europe and to chase the dream and he [Mark Webber] was in a very similar position.
“So a lot of things, instead of finding out on the go he could prepare me for certain situations, different circuits and just day-to-day life.
“I didn’t have any friends, I left school with two years to go at 16.
“And that’s not easy, I was living by myself. I left all my family at home and to go to the UK. When I first came over I couldn’t drive, it sucked at the time.
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A post shared by Mitch Evans (@mitchevans_)
“But I was so focused and driven it didn’t bother me and I knew what I wanted to do and knew what I had to do to make it happen.
“I actually liked leaving school early, it was a bit of a bonus for me actually.
“I was never really at school anyway I was racing abroad and in Australia a lot. It was tough at the start but also it was very exciting and from there it all evolved.”
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