Webber: Hosting the first race is brilliant currency for us

Webber, one of two recent appointments to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation board, now has an official role overseeing the Albert Park race. Webber will share responsibility for ensuring it remains, as he says, one of the top three races on the calendar.

Spaking ahead of the forthcoming season-opening Melbourne weekend, Webber said, "It's definitely in the top three events of the year. It's incredibly popular with the teams and all the drivers and journalists and all the photographers, everyone who has touched and felt our event."

"Yes, it's the first race of the year, we are very fortunate to have that slot because there is a huge anticipation. The difference between the first race and the third race in terms of anticipation is ginormous. That's brilliant currency for us. The event is in tremendous shape."

"I think [Melbourne] has been so well received for two decades now. I would see absolutely no reason whatsoever to tweak that. We love that slot and teams are probably looking in the future to have testing in the Middle East on the way out to Australia – they [drivers] just think it's ingrained that Australia is the first race."

"This year was a disaster in Europe in many ways, especially the first week, which was snowed off. That, obviously, brought the topic back on the table."

With Liberty Media now at the helm of Formula 1, they are intent on promoting the sport's new image for the future and Webber has his own opinion on what needs to be done.

"People love watching the heroes," ventured Webber. "We want to watch the best drivers in the world and that's why I watch the sport, that's why my dad watched the sport. Ayrton Senna, [Juan Manuel] Fangio, Jackie Stewart, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel – people are fascinated with watching people do things that they can't do and will be never able to do."

"These guys are phenomenally talented people and that's why everyone goes around the world to watch them. When you are there live, you see them doing 330km/h, you see the speed, you see the aggressiveness of the cars, which is great. You see the consequences."

"You need a bit of gladiatorial component, you have to have some consequences every now and again. It is not lawn bowls. These guys are taking risks, that's why we are watching it."

"They are there to take high risk, they love risk ... that's what it is about, which society is against now but we don't subscribe to that, obviously, on the race track because we want to take high risk."

"How do we demonstrate that?" questioned Webber who retired from Formula 1 at the end of 2013.