Mark Webber believes he has a good chance of victory at the British Grand Prix next weekend, but is concerned that he does not fully understand his recent fluctuations in form.
Webber finished third at the European Grand Prix just over a week ago and after the race said it was his best performance of the year. He kept Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel in sight for the first 42 laps, but a strategic error at the final pit stop and a gearbox problem saw him drop off the pace.
However, Webber told ESPNF1 that he could not pinpoint any one change in his approach that could have contributed to his improved performance.
"I've not a clue what's changed," he said. "I don't think I did a huge amount different in Valencia, we haven't changed the car too much. It was nice to have him [Vettel] in view for the whole race basically - he could never really break us that well. It was nice to be there in case any hiccups happened for him.
"I hope the coin is laying the same way in Silverstone and we can certainly be up there challenging for victory. I think I have a very good chance to challenge for the victory in Britain and that's what I want to try and do."
Asked if it was worrying that he did not know why his performance had improved, Webber said: "Yeah. It's like I just decided to try harder in Valencia - I've been trying hard at most venues, but I haven't really understood why my pace in Valencia was so good. It's not a particularly strong track for me anyway."
A regulation change at the British Grand Prix will reduce the level of downforce gained from off-throttle exhaust blown diffusers. Team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that Red Bull stands to lose 0.5 seconds in lap time as a result, but Webber does not believe it will hurt his team's chances.
"I think the track layout has always been pretty good for us," he added. "The rules are changing as we speak, they're still not set on what they are going to do for the rules for this grand prix so we should be strong there."
Laurence Edmondson is an assistant editor on ESPNF1
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