Webber not in a hurry to renew his contract

While the director of the Red Bull Racing team, Christian Horner, stated a few days ago that the Australian was likely to stay with the Austrian team in 2012, the great Mark was somewhat more reserved this weekend in Montreal: « Everything is going well. I’m happy here. […] The guys, the mechanics, I’m happy with all of that. But we’ll keep discussing it. There’s no rush. We have time ahead of us, so we’ll keep talking about it. »

The Red Bull driver, clearly dominated by his teammate since the start of the season, had made a mark just a year ago during his defiance at the British Grand Prix, where he declared he didn’t want to be just a number 2. However, with Vettel’s title, the Red Bull team seems more than ever devoted to its champion, and the wallaby might have desires to move elsewhere, notably a trip to Italy, where some already see him as a replacement for Felipe Massa. Mark Webber, however, insists he hasn’t considered any other options, even though his contract will expire at the end of the year.

Rumors circulating about the future of the Australian have led the newspaper Bild am Sonntag to ask Sebastian Vettel, the current teammate of Mark Webber, who his ideal teammate would be. In his characteristic style, the reigning World Champion mentioned the name of Dirk Nowitzki, a German basketball player currently competing in the NBA finals with his team, the Dallas Mavericks. However, as he admits, « Nowitzki wouldn’t even fit in the car. So, that gives me one less opponent. »

More seriously, Sebastian Vettel defines his ideal teammate as respectful and honest and does not rule out the idea of teaming up with Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso: but something tells us that, regarding the latter, it might happen somewhere other than at Red Bull. The rumors about the 2012 Formula One season are only just beginning!