Webber confirms Horner chat

Mark Webber has confirmed that he held talks with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner about extending his contract with the team…

Mark Webber has confirmed that he held talks with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner about extending his contract with the team.

The Australian’s current deal with the double World Champions runs out at the end of 2011 and earlier this year there were murmurs that he could walk away from the sport. However, Red Bull have made it clear that they would be happy to hold onto him for at least another year.

“We’re talking about Mark for next year, and I’m expecting him to be here. He is a popular member of the team,” Horner said before the summer break.

“We’ve always agreed that later in the summer we would sit down and talk.

“Both sides are keen to continue, so during the next few weeks we will take the opportunity to sit down, and with this break in the Championship look at next year.”

The scheduled meeting has now taken place, but Webber didn’t give too much away about the talks.

“I know some of you are waiting for news on my future,” he wrote in his column for BBC Sport.

“I stopped off in Salzburg for a meeting with Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz on my way to the Hungarian Grand Prix last month and, as planned, the August break gave me a good opportunity to have a chat with team principal Christian Horner about me continuing in 2012.”