Mark Webber signs extention with Red Bull for another year
The time tested team stays united for another season. Mark Webber, the Formula One championship leader has signed a contract extension for one more year with Red Bull along with having teammate Sebastian Vettel in the ranks for next year too.
The last Grand Prix was very dramatic for the Red Bull team as they crashed into each other at the Turkish track in Istanbul. During the fortieth lap of the race, Webber and Vettel bumped into each other when they were about to end the race. Both drivers were running on the first and second positions respectively when the incident happened. The accident resulted in a huge upset where Webber finished at the third place.
Following the crash, a series of disputes emerged in the team and a lot of controversies rose as the officials of Red bull seemed to put the entire blame of the incident on Webber rather than Vettel.
However, the team acted wisely to pack up the matter within no time. Both the drivers hugged each other as they walked out of the Red Bull team’s headquarters in Milton on Thursday last week. A summit meeting was held to discuss the matter where the two-some promised to give a new start to their team, leaving the mishap behind. Also, the team management cleared that they were not favouring any of the team members and that both the drivers were equal for them.
Sebastian Vettel, who stands at the fifth place in the current driver’s standings expressed that both drivers were professionals as they only try to have a healthy competition on the track. He further claimed that tough competition is required within the team in order to prove who is improving as a driver while nobody favours anyone unduly.
Vettel also repeated what he had been telling the media since the accident took place. The driver claimed that he had done nothing wrong as per his intensions or the rules of the sport are concerned, when he tried to overtake Webber in Istanbul. He was forced to retire from the race owing to the damaged to his car after the crash. He added that whenever there is a driver at the second place, he obviously thinks that he could take the lead. One has to take the chances. Vettel verified that he also took that chance but was unfortunately not successful and ended the race with an accident.
Well, after the hot and cold two weeks, off and on the track, the Red bull announced that this would be the third consecutive year when the team would remain the same as Webber signed the contract. The team has had a good combination of drivers in the past and the Red Bull management hoped to continue with the same luck in the upcoming season as well.
The boss of the team, Christian Horner, stated to the media after finalising the contract that it was obvious that the team wanted to retain the driver. He happily stated that Webber is in the best form of his career at the moment and is heading to win the drivers' championship for 2010. He also said that the entire team is happy for Sebastian who is still associated with the Red Bull and is doing great. He further said that the team hopes to see the pair moving with the same pace in the upcoming year as well.
Webber and the Red Bull had been together since 2007. The driver has previously won the Spanish and Monaco Grand Prix under the Red Bull logo. He also seems to be in great shape, strength and form for the next race to be held on Sunday in Montreal, Canada.
Webber, after signing the contract said that it was not a tough decision to remain with the same team. He added that it was a mutual decision. He pointed that the ongoing stage of his career is very important for him and he is performing at his best. Webber was resolute when he told the press that he was not just hanging around in Formula One for the sake of it, rather he wanted to make his mark in the history of driving.
After all the gossips and disputes, the team has finally come together again after disseminating all their issue behind only to move forward towards a new season with new hopes and determination.
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