NUERBURGRING, Germany,  (Reuters) – Australia will  have at least one win to celebrate when Mark Webber joins  captain Ricky Ponting and the Ashes cricket team for dinner yesterday.

The Red Bull driver ended his country’s long wait for a  Formula One triumph in Germany yesterday, Australia’s first  since Alan Jones in 1981.

Webber had hoped to toast a double victory with Ponting but  England thwarted what would have been a winners’ dinner by  holding Australia to a draw in the first test of the Ashes  series in Cardiff.

The driver’s success, in his 130th race, marked a remarkable  recovery for a man who only last November was lying in a  hospital bed with a badly broken right leg after a cycling  accident in Tasmania.

Nine races on, still with a pin in his leg, the Aussie  ironman is just 1.5 points behind German team mate Sebastian  Vettel and third in the championship.

Years of pent-up frustration came pouring out as he crossed  the finish line and let rip with an unrestrained show of raw  jubilation.

Already seen as one of the sport’s unluckiest racers, he had  been second three times already this season and now finally he  was first.

BRABHAM TRIBUTE

“During my time at Williams it was very tough for the  motivation, that’s the hardest part of it. No one likes turning  up and getting your arse kicked every weekend,” he said  remembering hard times in the past.

“That would test anyone’s patience.

“Now it’s obviously different. We can turn up at race  weekends and get very very good results. I’ve certainly had  testing times in my career with unreliable cars and being in a  position to get results hasn’t happened for whatever reason.

“It’s happening at the moment and as you say there was a lot  of emotion.”

Jones provided the immediate point of reference but it was  triple champion Jack Brabham, now in his 80s, who came to mind  in the closing laps as the chequered flag approached and Webber  eased off.

“There was no reason to finish 20 seconds in front instead  of 10,” he said. “As Jack Brabham used to say, ‘Win at the  slowest possible speed’. So I was thinking of Jack today.”

Webber had started on pole position for the first time in  his career but the jinx that has seen him compared to retired  New Zealand racer Chris Amon, who went through his career  without winning a grand prix, appeared to have struck.

The Australian, beaten into second place at the start by  Rubens Barrichello, was handed a drive-through penalty for  banging into the Brazilian. He took it on lap 14 and set about  rebuilding his race. In the end, it almost seemed easy.

“What happened today is not going to change my life  massively but it’s a very, very important thing,” he said.

“I will sleep well tonight, everything’s fine but I’m not a  different person because I’ve won one race. I’m just very very  happy that I’ve won it fair and square.

“It’s a real message to the Australian people,” added  Webber.

“I’ve always tried to represent my country as best as I can.  We’re a very proud sporting nation, we have done well on two  wheels, on motorbikes with Mick (Doohan) and with Casey (Stoner)  but the motorbikes aren’t motorsport in general at world level,  where we haven’t been amazing.

“It’s a great day for me and Australia.”