Red Bull announced today that Mark Webber has extended his contract with the team for another year, continuing his partnership with Sebastian Vettel into the 2011 F1 season.
The announcement comes eight days after the Turkish Grand Prix, where the Red Bull duo collided, throwing away a one-two finish.
Webber is currently leading the drivers championship and has won two races already this season. Despite the blip in Turkey, he was understandably delighted that he had secured a drive with one of the frontrunning teams on the F1 grid.
“It was an easy decision to remain with Red Bull Racing,” said the Aussie. “We began talking very early this year and were in a position to sign by the Barcelona Grand Prix.
“The decision to extend for a further year was a mutual one; it's widely known that I'm not interested in hanging around in Formula One just for the sake of it and at this stage of my career, I'm happy to take one year at a time. I continue to feel very comfortable here – I have a fantastic relationship with the whole team and the factory at Milton Keynes feels like home.
“It's been incredible to be part of the team as it's moved forward from a mid-field competitor to one that is challenging for the Championship. I hope we experience more success together in the future and achieve our ultimate goal of winning the World Championship.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said it was a very easy decision to offer Webber a new contract. “The decision to retain Mark was very straightforward. He is an important member of our team and is currently in the best form of his career, as the current leader of the Drivers' Championship.
“The team is extremely happy that the driver pairing of Mark and Sebastian will remain unchanged for a third season in 2011.”
