Horner wishes Webber well for the rest of 2013 - MotorSportsTalk

After it was confirmed earlier today that Mark Webber would be leaving Red Bull Racing and Formula One altogether at the end of the season, team boss Christian Horner has been among the first to wish the Australian driver the best of luck for his future endeavors.

“We support Mark’s decision, he has been an excellent addition to the team since joining us in 2007 and we wish him all the best in the next stages of his career,” Horner said in a team statement.

During his seven seasons with Red Bull, Webber has won nine races and three constructors’ championships, making him a valuable addition to the setup at Milton Keynes.

However, since the multi 21 fiasco in Malaysia, the exit has always appeared to be looming for Webber, and he will now join Porsche’s WEC and Le Mans team for 2014. Horner was sure that this was not a decision that Webber had taken lightly.

“I am sure Mark thought long and hard before making what has no doubt been a very difficult decision.

“His achievements in Formula One are extensive and I am sure he will continue to push hard and build on that record until the end of the season.”

Webber has not won since last year’s British Grand Prix, yet one may expect him to be pushing even harder for a 3rd victory at Silverstone this weekend.

An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”