Mark Webber arrived in Formula One last year with a storming drive to fifth place on his debut with Minardi in his home Grand Prix. Since then, he has become known as a 'teammate destroyer'- the mark of a true champion - and in an exclusive interview with Atlas F1's Timothy Collings, Webber admits he believes he has cemented his place in F1 and could lead the Jaguar team to great things

Timothy Collings: So far so good. It looks as if this season is coming together well for you so far, relatively speaking?

Mark Webber: "Yes. We might not be getting the results just yet, but there is a feeling that they are going to come and, for sure, it is a better feeling now I think than it was last year at this time. We were three seconds a lap faster at Imola and that is a good indicator."

TC: Is this thanks to the all-round effort put in at Jaguar, or the all round-effort put in by Mark Webber?

Webber: "Well, it would be nice to say it was all me, but of course it isn't. The whole team has made a terrific effort and we feel as if we have got the right package, a car that can perform and, personally, I am very impressed with Cosworth and the engine. They've done a really terrific job. It is a marvelous power unit for this team and they do the business.

"Overall, the team has been very welcoming and supportive to me and I have appreciated that. It is not easy to arrive somewhere new and fit in straight away, but I feel as if that has happened and that is a good feeling. Alright, you might say the car isn't winning, but it is a major step forward and we feel there is potential. It is really working well. Mark Webber has played a part in this."

TC: Has the team's decision to adopt the limited testing been a success for Jaguar?

Webber: "Yes, I think it has. But we have to make sure that when we do take some of our limited days of testing that we are very efficient in their use. We need to make sure everything we do is for a purpose and is planned. We don't have time to mess about.

"There are things we need to work on, like starts and some other areas, and we need to get them right and, of course, keep improving the car and the performance all round. But the idea, in general, of doing the testing this way this year has worked out well for us, I think. We are making the right kind of progress with the car pretty quickly and it has definitely helped our performances."

TC: But is there a feeling here, for Mark Webber, that potential is not enough? You are looking for something more?

Webber: "Yes, of course. Just look at the goals of anyone, or any team, in Formula One. The ultimate goal is to be winning and that is the main thing. For us, good points-scoring finishes is the first objective and then podiums. We can achieve that. That has to be our aim and our ambition and we have to work to get there. I am sure we can and we will achieve that, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication from everyone involved.

"So far I think we have been showing that we have got what it takes, but it will take a bit of time. The key thing is to keep remembering what you are here to do and then look at the points board. We've got no points. That tells you to keep at it."

TC: What specific areas do you feel you and the Jaguar team need to work in now to succeed?

Webber: "All areas! We have a lot to do. Okay, so we've made up some performance deficit on last year, but that's it so far. We need more reliability, better starts, better performance in every way and better driving. You can never say you are satisfied with anything in this game. We have to keep working in all areas on everything. Having said that, this year's car is a real step forward on last year's car. It is much stronger. We are all more confident. It is a very different Jaguar and we are in lots of ways a different team."

TC: You seem to be extremely focused, settled and competitive. Does this indicate a feeling that you are now truly part of Formula One and that the future is here for you? Maybe with Jaguar?

Webber: "It's too early to say what is going to happen long-term, but I feel definitely that I have arrived and taken my place in Formula One. It is up to me to prove I deserve to stay and to deliver the performances that the team and I want to see. If I can do that, and there is no reason why not, then things should work out okay."

TC: You praised Cosworth. It sounded as if you may have been pleasantly surprised by their efforts?

Webber: "Yeah, in a way, yes. Cosworth have had a great history, but in the modern era you have to judge by the current performance and I came to the team with no idea of what to expect. But Cosworth have, honestly, done a great job. They keep pushing. They have steps, really good steps, coming along all the time and it is a great feeling to have a strong working organisation like that with you. They have impressed me. They do a really terrific job. What I have seen when I have been there is very impressive. Pretty awesome. They are a great bunch of guys too."

TC: And that has made the whole settling in process much easier, so it has helped you to work fast and achieve more?

Webber: "Of course, but the team has been great as a whole. I've really had no problems adapting to the new team. None at all. And that's pretty amazing in a team of 350 people. I mean you can't just walk in and remember everyone's names overnight. But I know that it is important for me to play a major role and I am trying to do that. This year, of course, with the new testing set-up, the drivers probably do the least work of everyone around. We do the racing, we do some testing, here and there! And the rest of the time is pretty easy. I do a bit of promotional work and I spend a lot of time trying to stay fit."

TC: Where are you living now? What is your life like?

Webber: "Well, I'm living in a lovely little village just near Milton Keynes. I can go into the factory easily once a week or so from there. I see a lot of the beautiful English countryside and I do a fair bit of fitness work outside. So far, it has been really great. Obviously, in the first few weeks of the year, it was more difficult with the flyaways, but then it settled down again.

"I think this year the flyaways were a good test for us with the really special event for me in Melbourne, for obvious reasons, and then the heat in Malaysia. That finds you out if you are not fit enough and it is a good test of the drivers really. Brazil is Brazil, very special in its own way, too. We were pretty fast everywhere and then we went to Imola and overall I feel we did okay. Now we need to get some improvement and better reliability."

TC: On a broader spectrum, who do you see as the likely champions this year?

Webber: Michael. Whatever happened earlier in the year, he is the guy to beat with the team to beat. I can't see that changing too much. McLaren may have closed the gap a bit, but Ferrari are still there. It's going to take an almighty effort to change things.