Mark Webber: Porsche 911 2019 comparable to the Le Mans 919 race car

In some ways, the new sports car is on the same level as the endurance car that he drove

Mark Webber maybe he's not racing Formula 1 cars these days, or even Le Mans prototypes, but if you're a potential Porsche buyer or one of the many loyal customers of the brand, this can only be a good thing, given its involvement in the development of new cars with iconic German brand, including the new 911.

Speaking with him on the eve of the Los Angeles auto show at the world's revelation of the new 911, you have the distinct impression that he is a thoughtless guy who likes pushing development cars as hard as he pushed racing cars once. drove.

Webber is deeply involved in the development of the first all-electric Porsche car, the Taycan, to be launched in 2019.

Despite that, he still managed several trials of the new 911 generation, dubbed 992, but still with August Achleitner, 911's vice president of development, driving his shotgun and absorbing the detailed dynamic feedback that Webber had to offer.

The former Formula One driver commented that there was no high-speed pbad, but rather "everything was very dynamic, such as maneuverability, systems, and the like. interface and wind noise, among others ".

During our conversation, Webber said, "A few things stood out when I found myself driving 992. Certainly, the wider front path is of interest in terms of reaction and balance of the car.

"It's very convenient, with quick changes of direction and braking on the winding sections we test, and new systems such as the wet mode are simply breathtaking because they help the driver in difficult conditions.

"The way the engineers did the mapping with this system must be considered credible, you can go from the soft to the wild and even turn it off if you want, but the work that these guys did to get the 39, a right gliding angle and distributing more formerly to the front is 919 territory.It is really. "

Webber drove the Porsche 919 at the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship between 2014 and 2016. Porsche finished first in the constructors' championship in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.