Automobile News

These have been event filled times for Red Bull Racing: First, David Coulthard announced he was resigning at the end of the season, then the contract extension with Mark Webber was official confirmed. So it’s still open who Mark Webber’s team mate will be – and now the speculation can start.

Because if Red Bull Racing wanted to, they could get Sebastian Vettel in an instant, who is actually under contract with Red Bull, not Toro Rosso, and can be easily switched between both teams. But: “We are in no hurry to announce the second driver. There is a lot of speculation regarding Sebastian Vettel, but nothing has been finalized” explains the team leader Christian Horner.

The logic behind this decision is simple: Vettel isn’t going anywhere anyway because of his contractual obligations, that way the racing team can comfortably take a look at the transfer market and see if they can’t pick up a superstar. Especially because many people think Fernando Alonso, who isn’t happy at Renault, won’t return to McLaren-Mercedes and might not find a spot at Ferrari.

Horner says: “We want to have the two best available drivers. If this is Sebastian, then great, but we can afford to wait over the summer. We are going to see what else happens on the driver market.” A candidate from Red Bull’s own racing organizations, like Vettel, is of course ideal, but on the other side the “Young Bulls”, such as Sebastian Buemi or Ben Hanley, aren’t quite ripe enough for Formula 1.

Furthermore, Horner explains that Coulthard only informed them of his resignation at the last podium in Canada, not at the beginning of the season: “David made his decision before the race in Montreal, but we waited till Silverstone to announce it. It was his decision. We respect it. And we have more or less been in agreement with Mark since Monaco.”