Mark Webber has again refuted rumours that the upcoming Formula 1 championship will be his last on the grid.
The 35-year-old Australian has given his all in recent years, but has not matched the double world championship winning exploits of team-mate Sebastian Vettel and, as a result, has seen some of the young up-and-comers in the sport linked with usurping his race seat.
The driver has never put an exact date on when he may quit the team or the sport, however he has been quoted by Australia's The Sunday Age as saying that it will certainly not be at the end of 2012.
“I've been through enough on and off the track to know that nothing is forever," he told the newspaper. "(According to the media) I was supposed to be replaced by Kimi (Raikkonen) four years ago."
Toro Rosso’s use of youngsters Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo are behind much of the speculation with the latter – a compatriot of Webber - fancied to go a long way.
On him, Webber added: "I think what could and will happen is that when you have Australians winning and if Daniel goes on to have a good career, which I have no doubt that he will, it stimulates more people to have a crack at it
“But it won't be made any easier in many ways. I still think you'll have to be trying very hard."