Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing, believes Mark Webber has what it takes to be the dark horse of this year's Formula 1 world championship.
While much of the pre-season press focus has been on the linking up of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, the return of Michael Schumacher and the rise of Sebastian Vettel, Horner believes that the 33-year-old Webber could well emerge as the surprise package of the season.
"I don't see any reason why Mark can't be a contender," said Horner.
"People overlook him, but for me he is the dark horse of this year's championship.
"For sure, Sebastian is a prodigious talent, and to be challenging for a championship last year was remarkable for a guy in only his second full year of grand prix racing.
"A lot of lesser drivers would have wilted under the pressure of having Sebastian as a team-mate, but he hasn't.
"Mark is a very dedicated sportsman who trains very hard, applies himself 100%, and as an example to aspiring young drivers he is the epitome of what a grand prix driver should be.
"He is in the latter years of his career, not at the end of it, and so he has a lot of experience behind him.
"He is still very driven, but he is also comfortable with where his strengths and weaknesses are, and he works hard on those."