( CNN ) -- It is the ultimate breeding ground for any Formula One star of the future , and a medium endorsed by one of the sport 's greatest drivers , Ayrton Senna . Right up until his tragic death in 1994 , the three-time world champion from Brazil still raced go-karts , a rough and ready forerunner for those youngsters hoping to make the giant leap to the multi-million-dollar arena of F1 . Senna 's passion for karts is shared by Mark Webber , who started on his path to stardom as part of the all-conquering Red Bull team by speeding round miniature tracks as a teen . According to the Australian , who still squeezes his giant frame into a go-kart every once in a while , there is no better place to see if kids have what it takes to thrive in the fast-paced world of motorsport . `` Karting is very purist if you like , it 's very basic , '' Webber , who was second fastest in practice for Sunday 's Indian Grand Prix , told CNN . `` Ayrton Senna was still a huge fan right until the end . `` For him he really enjoyed it and he said he had some of his best racing in go-karts and he had some of his toughest opposition in go-karts , so there 's no better endorsement than that . `` I suppose it 's like learning new languages when you 're young . Karting is the best way for you to get a feel of how to race each other , dealing with the competition , dealing with winning , dealing with losing , and you soak up so much at a young age and learn very fast . '' All of F1 's stellar names , such as double world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso , McLaren 's Lewis Hamilton and seven-time drivers ' championship winner Michael Schumacher , started out on karting tracks . Senna , one of the sport 's most dynamic drivers , became transfixed with an improvised go-kart made for him as a four-year-old by his father using old parts of an old lawnmower . And though there can be little comparison between the speed and the danger of the two driving disciplines , Webber insists the challenge presented by karting is one that still excites him . `` The difference between go-karts and Formula One is obviously quite extreme . It 's from the junior , the most basic form to the most extreme form , '' the 36-year-old said . `` But a lot of Formula One drivers , including myself , still love driving karts because it 's very , very raw . `` They still give us a great feel of adrenalin and sensation of speed even though they 're not as powerful as what we race week in , week out , but we are low to the ground , you 've got to be very precise -- all the things we have to deal with in our profession . '' Talent on the track is one thing but Webber says it is vital to have an understanding of the financial workings of motorsport even from an early age . Anyone who reaches the top will reap the rewards that come with F1 success , but it can be an expensive hobby to fund at the start of a driver 's career . `` It 's not a cheap sport , obviously , so you 've got to try to find sponsorship if you can to help mum and dad pay for your go-kart tires and go-kart engines , '' he said . `` If you can , have a good nous and good awareness for the sponsorship side of things as well . I know they 're only young but it 's important for them to understand that . '' Webber 's first love was motorbikes , but his switch to four wheels as a 14-year-old paid instant dividends as he won his state go-karting championship in New South Wales . But aside from the titles , the thing he most cherishes about his time in the junior ranks of motorsport was traveling round Australia with his father , who was otherwise kept busy at work . It was n't until Webber started to enjoy success on a more prestigious stage that he thought his dream of becoming a Formula One driver could turn into a reality . `` There was definitely a moment when I was young and it clicked and I wanted to be a driver at the highest level , '' he said . `` I was completely dreaming then and every day I was dreaming about how far I could get in the sport . `` No-one 's that arrogant when they 're racing go-karts that ( they think ) for sure I 'm going to be a world champion one day or I 'm going to race Formula One or I 'm going to do this . `` It 's just a process and you get more confidence and you win and you keep moving up . I think it 's not until you start getting to Europe and winning races over there that you feel that you can go all the way . `` Because it 's in your wildest dreams that you 'd ever get to race a Formula One car when you 're racing karts . ''
Red Bull 's F1 driver Mark Webber tells CNN of his love for go-karting . The Australian cut his teeth on karts at the start of his motorsport career . Webber says legendary Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna was a huge fan of karting . The 36-year-old says karting is a `` pure '' form of racing and is `` very , very raw ''