We must aim higher, Aussie insists after matching his points total from 2007 as early as round five.
Mark Webber was in positive mood after the Turkish Grand Prix, as the Aussie equalled his points total from 2007 - after just five races.
The 31-year-old finished seventh around the challenging Istanbul Park circuit to mark his fourth straight points finish of the 2008 campaign, leaving him sitting in a strong seventh position in the drivers' table. Though he may have scored all ten of Red Bull Racing's points to-date this year, the man from New South Wales - keen to ink a new contract with the Milton Keynes-based outfit [see separate story - click here] - insists the team must now aim higher still.
"I'm happy to get two points," Webber reflected after taking the chequered flag just over ten seconds behind the similarly-powered Fernando Alonso in the Renault, having chased the Spaniard race-long after losing out at the start.
"It wasn't the most exciting race; I was just trying to hold on to Fernando, which wasn't easy as he was a bit too strong for us today. It would have been nice to be able to fight him a little bit more. I was cruising a little in the last stint, as [Nico] Rosberg wasn't a threat.
"Getting more points is good for the team - especially after the way they turned my car around after my shunt on Friday - but we're not satisfied with getting just points now. We want to get more, but I have the same number of points that I had in total last year, so we're doing okay."
Team-mate David Coulthard - having made the top ten on the starting grid for the first time since the Melbourne curtain-raiser, and on the back of two disastrous qualifying performances in Bahrain and Barcelona - ultimately crossed the finish line just over ten seconds adrift of his team-mate in ninth, and crucially less than four seconds away from the final points-paying position. On the plus side, the 37-year-old acknowledged, was the fact that for once he had got through an entire grand prix without hitting another car…
"I just missed out on points today, which is frustrating," the experienced Scot related afterwards, "but I've looked around my car and there's no damage, so at least we finished a race without colliding with anyone! I raced as hard as I could. I dropped half a second just before my second pit-stop and came out just behind Nico, which was probably the deciding factor.
"I think the strategy guys did a good job today; I just wasn't able to eke the last little bit of pace out of the car. I had a little bit of understeer and difficult drivability getting the throttle open, which cost a tenth of a second per lap."
Team principal Christian Horner, meanwhile, was full of praise for his two drivers' performance over the weekend, as RBR strives to break free from the midfield pack encompassing Renault, Williams, Toyota and Honda.
"Mark was mainly racing against Fernando," the 34-year-old explained, "and was very close to out-running him at the first pit-stop - I think he missed out by half a second, which was unfortunate. Seventh was ultimately the outcome, and we collected a fourth consecutive points finish.
"David lost a position to Rosberg on the first lap and spent the rest of the afternoon chasing him. He looked quicker, but unfortunately we couldn't out-run him through strategy today, and David finished an always frustrating ninth. We're pleased to have maintained our 100 per cent reliability record after another promising weekend."
"It's a good result, although we're a little disappointed as we had hoped to finish sixth," added Renault principal track support engineer Fabrice Lom. "We've gained a place in the constructors' championship and, in terms of engine management, we're pleased. We were a little concerned following Fernando's problems at the last race. This is now a demanding track for the engine, especially with turn eight, so we're pleased with the reliability of the engine here."
