Flavio Briatore believes Mark Webber will win this year's World Championship, following his victory in Hungary on Sunday.

The former Benetton and Renault team boss, who is Webber's manager, says the Australian has upped his game this season and can fight off the challenge of teammate Sebastian Vettel, and the McLarens and Ferraris.

"Watch out – Webber is on his way to win the title: what he has done in Hungary on Sunday was phenomenal," Briatore told Gazzetta dello Sport. "But I'm not tipping Webber just because he is one of my drivers, I only state what everyone has seen from home.

"Mark is a driver capable of exceptional feats. He has now reached a maturity and inner calmness that can take him really far. In Hungary he was the first one understanding that he could take a risk in running for three-quarter distance on the soft tires he had at the start. That was the winning move, but it also demonstrated how much he uses his brain, unlike many others."

Webber's victory lifted him back into the championship lead, but just 20 points cover from his lead to Fernando Alonso in fifth place.