Mark Webber has admitted he marked not winning the 2010 title by gaining weight and not exercising.
The Australian admitted he did a "Ricky Hatton" after seeing his teammate Sebastian Vettel win the championship — a reference to a British boxer who famously gains weight and then loses it again between fights.
"For five weeks I relaxed and, if I felt like eating sausages, I’d bang them on," Webber told the Evening Standard. "It was just good to take that time off as I’d not done it for a long time.
"I’m not normally good at doing nothing but that’s just what I did and it was needed after two really hard winters where I was either on crutches or having surgery," he explained.
Webber said it was a shock when he resumed training later on.
"I remember thinking ’holy shit, I’ve let this go too far’ but in the end I felt sensational for it and I’m the same weight as at the end of last season and it’s all about the long haul," he added.
In 2011, Webber is fighting for his future, after seeing Vettel, Red Bull designer Adrian Newey and 50 other team colleagues have their contracts renewed. The 34-year-old, by contrast, is set to leave the team at the end of the season.
"I don’t think there’s a person in the world that doesn’t want to be wanted or liked," said Webber. "I’ve rarely got a two-year deal since I got there and that’s how Helmut Marko likes to do it.”
“It’s up to me to put in the performances to warrant a new deal," he added bluntly.