Christian Horner says Mark Webber still to drive on an annual contract basis – Formula 1 update
Red Bull’s team boss, Christian Horner, stated that Mark Webber will not be given a multi-year contract like Sebastian Vettel. He further said that Webber’s contract extension depends on his performance this year and his willingness to drive another season.
Mark Webber has been on an annual contract deal with Red Bull since 2010. On Monday, the Red Bull team extended the contract of the youngest Formula 1 champion, Vettel, until 2014. Along with that, Adrian Newey and other 50 team members were given contracts,
but Webber’s future with the team was not discussed.
Horner said, “Mark is at a different stage of his career to Sebastian. At 34 he is not just starting out. When the time comes with Mark, if he still has the motivation, desire and is competitive, it's logical to talk about extending his contract.” He also
said that the two drivers, Webber and Vettel, can’t be compared with each other because they are different in nature. He explained that, “Sebastian is 23 and is fully motivated and committed to the sport for the foreseeable future. With Mark, we jointly decided
last year to enter into a contract on an annual basis.”
There is speculation that Webber may retire after this season because at the age of 35 he has not been able to win a title. His best finish has been in third place, which came in the 2010 season. However, his team-mate, has impressed the Formula 1 world
with his marathon performance in the last season where he came out as a champion while winning five Grand Prix and also crowned Red Bull their first constructor’s title.
Although, Horner said that Webber is likely to get a contract for 2012 based on his performance, Toro Rosso’s duo, Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi, are already competing to get his seat in Red Bull. Vettel was the first to get a seat at Red Bull after
his stint at Toro Rosso. This throws it wide open for Toro Rosso drivers to get into the Red Bull team if Webber exits. For Webber, he has a whole year to perform well to secure his place at Red Bull for the coming seasons.
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