RideLust

Mark Webber in Malaysia, 2010. Photo: Morio

Just a few week’s back it looked like Webber was on his way out the door at Red Bull Renault; now, he’s got a guaranteed seat for the 2011 season. Teammate Sebastian Vettel is said to be in negotiations for a three year contract extension at Red Bull, but that doesn’t phase Webber. As Webber described it, “…at this stage of my career, I’m happy to take one year at a time.”

Webber, who began his F1 career at Minardi in 2002, currently leads the World Driver’s Championship points standing. He’s captured 4 poles and 2 wins in seven races thus far, and both Webber and Vettel have made Red Bull Renault this year’s team to beat.

Even Christian Horner, the Red Bull Renault F1 team manager who was quick to blame Webber for the Turkish Grand Prix tangle with Vettel, seemed happy with the signing of Webber’s contract extension. Per Horner, “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.”

In other words, Webber is our man, so long as he’s leading the championship and doesn’t step on our golden boy Vettel’s toes again. With 12 races left in the 2010 season, the Red Bull Renault soap opera is a long way from over.

Source: Mark Webber Signs One-Year Extension With Red Bull