A trickle of drivers regularly leave Australia heading for Europe in the hope of ending up in Formula One. To date, just twelve have made it and Mark Webber is part of an elite core of only four Aussie racers to have scored points in Formula One. Pretty much all of them have adhered to the computer term "WYSIWYG," or "What You See Is What You Get", namely a guy who says what he thinks, gets on with his job and doesn't even know the meaning of the phrase "prima donna." (Have you ever met any Australians who can speak a foreign language anyway?)

For his first season as a Red Bull Racing driver Webber didn't need any instructions on how to find the Milton Keynes factory as, under the guise of Jaguar, it was his home in 2003 and 2004. His Formula One debut came with Minardi in 2002. It was a fairytale first: the team, run by fellow Australian Paul Stoddart, had not scored a point since 1999 and Mark ended his maiden race in fifth place, ending the year as the undisputed rookie of the year. Eleven years after the inevitable start in karts, Webber was beginning to make his mark in the sport's top discipline. After karts and Formula Ford in his native Australia, came the equally inevitable move to England for more single-seater experience and he put his name on the map by winning the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. Formula 3 followed, but then Mark's career followed a path pioneered by Michael Schumacher, when he was taken on by the Mercedes sports car team.

Unfortunately, Webber's time with the tin tops is best remembered for twice flipping the car at huge speed at the Le Mans 24 Hours weekend in 1999, through no fault of his own. This led to him racing more sensible cars and he ended up coming into Formula One through the more conventional Formula 3000 route.

Mark is incredibly - some might say irritatingly - fit! If team-mate David Coulthard was tagged as Superman in 2006, he himself might well be named after every little boy's favourite toy Action Man, as he sees most of the great outdoors as something simply to pedal, paddle or punt across. This could be why he chooses not to live in some glamorous rich boy playground, but in beautiful Buckinghamshire, with one of the UK's best Mountain Bike courses on his doorstep.

The years in the top echelon of the sport has not managed to dent Mark's down to earth attitude to life. He reckons his bicycles are some of his most prized possessions along with a kayak, which is a canoe for goodness sake! What's wrong with a luxury yacht?