Mark Webber has warned his team-mate Sebastian Vettel that he needs to wrap up the Championship in Austin as the season-ending race in Brazil can be a lottery.
Vettel currently holds a 10-point lead over title rival Fernando Alonso and can secure his third Championship in a row at this weekend's US Grand Prix. Should the Red Bull driver win the race, Alonso needs to finish at least fourth to keep the Championship alive.
Securing such an advantage may be tough, as aside from two retirements, Alonso last finished out of the top five in Bahrain in April. However, even if there remains a mathematical chance that Alonso can win the title in Brazil, Webber knows the opportunity needs to be as slim as possible as the weather could cause havoc with proceedings.
''Clearly, Austin's a very important weekend because Brazil can throw up some 'funnies','' he is quoted as saying by Western Australia Today. ''There can be a bit of rain around there, so that's a bit more of a nervous venue. I'm not saying it can't rain at Austin, but Brazil can be incredibly inconsistent with the weather, so that might come into the mix.''
While the battle between Vettel and Alonso is of course dominating much of the pre-race talk, Webber warns that actual jockeying for position between the two may not materialise.
''They may not even see each other on-track - that's the way it turns out sometimes,'' said the Australian. ''It's a bit like an FA Cup final or the rugby league grand final - sometimes it doesn't live up to the hype.''
Webber may not be able to win the Championship himself but he is hopeful of still having a major impact on how matters unfold.
''Hopefully I'll have a good grandstand seat,'' he mused.
''I'll be right in there - we have been at the past few events. Obviously, Abu Dhabi was a bit of a joke, but in the other ones recently we've been right there and I'm looking forward to finishing the season off with some good, really good results.
''And if I manage to see some of the racing unfold close by, then I'll watch how it all turns out. If it's in my mirrors, all the better; if it's just in front, we'll see what happens.''
