Red Bull team boss Christian Horner & Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey celebrate Mark Webbers second win in Monaco by taking a dip in the Red Bull Racing Pool on top of the energy station
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner gives Red Bull driver Mark Webber a hug after winning the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix in tricky conditions…
Autosport: Red Bull in no rush to sort Webber’s future after Monaco Grand Prix victory
Red Bull insists it is in no rush to sort out a fresh contract with Mark Webber for 2013, despite his Monaco Grand Prix victory coming amid speculation that he is a key target for Ferrari.
Webber became the sixth different winner this season as he held off race-long pressure from Nico Rosberg around the streets of the principality.
But despite his form, and ongoing suggestions that Ferrari is interested in the Australian as a replacement for Felipe Massa, Red Bull says it will not change its plans to sort out a contract over the summer.
Webber has been on a rolling one-year deal for several seasons now, with the contract having usually been sorted out later in the campaign.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “Mark has had a great day in Monaco. He is driving really well. He is in great shape and you can see on a day like this that he is absolutely on top of his game.
“We have a very open and straightforward relationship with Mark and [the Monaco win] certainly does not change that. It is the same situation that we have had the last couple of years. Let’s focus on now and the future will take care of itself.”
When asked about whether he expected Red Bull to face a fight to keep hold of Webber amid the lure of a possible Ferrari chance, Horner said: “Why would he want to leave? I think he is a comfortable in the team.
“The team knows Mark very well and Mark knows the team very well. We are only at race six, and obviously a lot depends on his desire and motivation which, at the moment, looks very clear. He is doing a great job and we are really happy with him, and he really deserved this result.”
If Webber moves to Ferrari it means there will be a vacancy at Red Bull, which has again prompted speculation that Lewis Hamilton could be a target.
The Briton is currently evaluating his options - with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes all possibilities if he does not agree terms for an extension at McLaren.
There was speculation over the Monaco Grand Prix that Sebastian Vettel could even be a serious target for Ferrari - with sources suggesting that he had agreed an option with the Maranello-based team for 2014.
However, senior sources at Red Bull insist that Vettel will remain at his current outfit at least until the end of that season as he is under a firm contract until the start of 2015. He has longer-term options at the team too.
ESPN F1: Horner full of praise for ‘mature’ Webber
Christian Horner praised Mark Webber’s “great skill and maturity” after he won the Monaco Grand Prix for the second time in three years.
Webber led from pole and delivered a measured race to hold off a train of cars in changeable conditions. Despite track position being key in Monaco, Horner said that Webber was actually in the hardest place as the leader when it started to rain and praised the way that he dealt with the pressure from those behind.
“We knew the threat of rain was always coming and then it started spitting,” Horner said. “I think the hardest position to be in is when you’re leading a group - especially around Monaco - and it’s starting to get slippy because everybody else can judge their amount of grip by what you’re doing. But Mark was completely in control and drove with great skill and maturity to close out the win. It bunched up at the end there but he never put a wheel wrong all afternoon, so first and fourth was a really fantastic team result; our third consecutive victory in Monaco.”
When asked which of the team’s Monaco victories was the sweetest, Horner said they were all special.
“I think they all are sweet. The first one was pretty special, the second one was special as well and this one feels just as good to become triple winners in Monte Carlo. I don’t think you do that by luck and Mark to become a double winner, he joins an elite group of double winners or multiple winners in Monaco and he really deserved it.”
With Webber only signing one-year contracts at this stage of his career rumours have linked him with a move to Ferrari, but Horner said he saw no reason why he’d want to switch teams.
“I think Mark’s had a great day today. He’s driving really well, he’s in great shape and you can see on a day like today that he’s absolutely at the top of his game. We have a very open and straightforward relationship with Mark and today certainly doesn’t change that, it’s the same situation as the last few of years.
“Why would he want to leave? He’s comfortable in the team, the team know Mark very well and Mark knows the team very well. We’re only at race six, obviously a lot depends on his desire and motivation going forward which at the moment looks very clear. He’s doing a great job, we’re really happy with him.”
