Several allegations in the Australian media compared the contracts of the two RBR drivers, concluding that reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel, through his new 3-year extension with the team, will earn twice as much as Webber in 2011. In addition, while Red Bull have hurried to keep Vettel in the boat for the future, nobody seems to be too eager to do the same in Webber's case.
And team manager Christian Horner explained his team's strategy regarding Webber, saying once more that age is the only factor that sits between Webber's current deal and a new one-year prolongation of his contract.
“Mark is at a different stage of his career to Sebastian,” said Horner, according to the Sporting Life. “At 34 he is not just starting out. He has done 160 grands prix. 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.”
The same happened in 2010, when Webber was also in his last year of contract with the team. Following a handful of victories in the first part of the season, the Australian was offered a one-year extension with Red Bull, which motivated him throughout the campaign and turned him into a title contender until the last race.
“We jointly decided last year, to enter into a contract on an annual basis because a lot depends on him having the desire and motivation to continue,” he added. “It's not just about being quick enough. He'll be 35 years of age this year.”
“(...) But it's too early for either him or us to be having that conversation at the moment. That will take its natural course later in the year. He is a shrewd enough guy to work that out for himself without me having to explain that to him.”
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