Having clinched the crown last year, many are predicting Vettel will be the man to beat in 2011 while there are some nay-sayers who reckon last year's title brawl was Webber's one shot at achieving F1's ultimate prize.
The 34-year-old, though, is determined his detractors' comments won't get him down - rather, he says, they'll inspire him.
"I do like to be the underdog to a degree. On the ropes a little bit. And of course there are plans you can use to fire yourself up. But you can only take that so far," said the Aussie.
"Don't worry; I'll be opposing this year again. Very, very hard. And sometimes that will be against Sebastian."
Webber urged Red Bull to bring out their 'A' game as several moments last season, such as their early dependability issues and the intra-team tension between himself and Vettel, played into their rivals' hands.
"There is every reason to suggest we can do well again," Webber told The Telegraph, "but we have learned to deal with convinced situations a little bit better so that we don't help our rivals."
