RBR ace excited about new venues on '08 calendar, but insists TC ban will not mean a return to 1980s-style sideways action.
Mark Webber has praised the addition of Valencia and Singapore to the 2008 Formula 1 calendar as 'one of the best things Bernie [Ecclestone] has done for ages', predicting a spellbinding show for fans and drivers alike.
The grand prix circus will arrive at the newly-built street circuit at Valencia in late August, and just over a month later will touch down in Singapore for the sport's first-ever night race. Webber is convinced both will prove to be a roaring success.
"Awesome!" enthused the Red Bull Racing star, who has driven at night-time before in the round-the-clock Le Mans 24 Hours endurance classic, but never behind the wheel of a single-seater. "It's one of the best things Bernie has done for ages, absolutely brilliant! [Singapore] is going to be a fascinating spectacle, and great for everyone in Europe with the time zone difference. It'll be like daylight; it will be dark for the punters, but it won't be dark for us I hope!
"It will be interesting and I'm looking forward to see what it's going to be like. Along with Valencia it's going to be one of the highlights of the year for sure for drivers, teams and fans.
"They are very new venues, but it's good. Street circuits are very challenging for us, and they look like they've put a lot of energy and effort into making them spectacular tracks.
"We haven't had a modern street circuit for a long, long time. We've had Monte Carlo obviously, but that has been developed over 20 or 30 years. It's good for us to take the cars under the fans' noses and also away from some of the tracks that are not so challenging. We've got to try and keep some of the traditional venues in there too, but the sport is definitely shifting."
The plain-speaking Aussie was also voluble on the issue of the traction control ban, foreseeing more accidents in greasy and wet conditions, but not a return to cars sliding around the track like they did in the 1980s due to the current aerodynamic regulations. He acknowledged the fact drivers would need to adjust their driving style on the exit of corners, and also insisted the FIA was right not to consult the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) - of which he is a key member - over the changes.
"In some sports maybe you would think that should happen," the 31-year-old reflected, "but it's just never been part of our role; we've never been involved in that. Things that have happened in this sport have rarely been a backward step.
"They've [the governing body] done a good job without the drivers' input, but I think the drivers have also done a lot in the last 15 to 20 years together with the FIA on safety, in terms of ideas on how to make the sport better.
"The sport has changed so much. Back in the day it was totally different, and more dangerous. We don't want F1 cars smashing up the wall, but at the same time we've got to put a show on; we need to strike a balance. It will be more difficult and there will be more crashes [without traction control], but it'll be ok.
"To drive like Gilles Villeneuve doesn't happen these days, because it's not good for your lap time; you go slower, and the tyres aren't happy with you. That's just the way it is."
