Red Bull in no rush over Webber’s future

SILVERSTONE, UK - Agence France-Presse

Australian Formula One driver Mark Webber of Red Bull takes Luffield bend during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone race track, Northamptonshire, Britain. EPA photo

Red Bull has insisted the team is in no rush to discuss a new contract with Mark Webber despite his scintillating win at the British Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Australian, who qualified second behind Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, drove a flawless race and eventually passed the Spaniard to take victory at Silverstone.

His victory cut Alonso’s lead in the title race from 20 to 13 points and, together with his teammate Sebastian Vettel of Germany who finished third, helped his Red Bull team extend its lead in the constructor’s championship to 64 points.

Possible Ferrari move

And although the Australian has been linked with a possible move to Ferrari as a replacement for the under-pressure Brazilian Felipe Massa, Red Bull boss Christian Horner insisted there was no need to rush into a decision. “I think that very simply we have a great relationship with Mark,” said Horner. “As always with him, things are pretty straightforward.

“This is his seventh season with the team. He has had all of his success in F1 with this team and we would like to see that continue.

“Inevitably there is an awful lot of speculation surrounding Ferrari, but we are only focused on ourselves. We cannot control what other people say or do, and I think that Mark feels comfortable in the team.

Horner did confirm however, that the team would be discussing a new contract with the 35-year-old in the coming weeks.

‘We will sit down and talk during the summer’

“Mark wants to be in the team next year and therefore, as we have always stated, during the summer we will sit down and talk about the future,” he said.

“And that period of time is obviously coming up pretty close now, so over the next few weeks we will be talking about 2013.” He added: “Mark has given me every indication that he is very happy here, and you can see that in his driving.

“He is driving very well this year, he has won two big races now - the Monaco Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix, and I think his drive at Silverstone was excellent.

“It was great for him to win for the team at our local race, and obviously coming from just up the road as well, and to have Sebastian (Vettel) up there on the podium after a difficult first lap again was a double bonus.”