Sebastian Vettel extended his contract with Red Bull Racing until 2014, just like the other 50 key employees of the technical department.

Red Bull F1 Team have strengthen their position in the Formula 1 world for at least three more years, as they managed to keep the F1 world champion of the 2011 season, Sebastian Vettel, for three more years, both the key staff of the team.

The German driver’s contract with Red Bull was expiring at the end of the season, but Vettel and the Austrian team reached an agreement until 2014, even though the previous deal had an one year extension clause.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing

As well, 50 of the key members of the technical department signed contract extension until 2014, among them the famous engineer, Adrian Newey, the Red Bull F1 Team Chief Technical Officer, responsible for the development of the Red Bull Racing F1 cars. “This includes around 50 people of the upper and middle management – basically everyone who is important for securing RBR’s top level performances,” Marko added.

Red Bull Racing officially confirmed Vettel’s new contract and of the key staff shortly after the media wrote about the subject.

But Red Bull F1 team had a completely different approach for Mark Webber, whose deal expires at the end of 2011. The Australian will negotiate a new deal towards the end of the summer, depending on his performances.

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Mark Webber thinks that Red Bull F1 team is ready to start the new Formula 1 season, but he avoids making predictions for the first Grand Prix of the year.

Red Bull Racing stood out in this winter’s tests as one of the big favorites in the fight for the Formula 1 World Title, as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber constantly registered competitive times.

For this reason Webber said that Red Bull Racing is ready to start the new season, even though the team has three more days to spend on tweaks for the Red Bull RB7.

“You can always do with more time – but I feel we are ready to go now and get into it. We will see where we are. You always learn more when you go racing about your strengths and weaknesses as a team. That comes from pace, reliability, pitstops, organisation, Saturdays/Sundays, the whole thing. So the whole weekend needs to be tested shortly and we will go from there. We are only a few days away from that,” said the Australian at the end of the test day one in Barcelona.

Even though, the Red Bull F1 Team driver kept from making predictions for the Australian Grand Prix scheduled for March 27 and he believes that it would be fool to believe Red Bull dominates the first GP of the season.

“We are not going to sit here and say we are going to destroy the first race and kill everyone, because that would be naive. There are a lot of people with similar pace – don’t worry about that. It is pretty obvious that the team is incredibly motivated, and organisation-wise we are in great shape – so we are building on what we did last year. But I don’t think there is a huge amount of evidence to go on from the previous eight weeks to be honest, because today we see everyone with similar pace. Ferrari isn’t here, and McLaren is not hanging around either,” Webber also said, talking about Ferrari F1 Team, which will start testing in Barcelona starting Wednesday.

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Christian Horner have minimized Sebastian Vettel’s desire to drive for Ferrari F1 Team and believes that the German can transform Red Bull Racing into a “legendary” team.

Sebastian Vettel, the new Formula 1 world champion, said several times that he dreams of driving for Ferrari, at a certain moment in his career.

Far from being worried about the German’s wish, the boss, Christian Horner, believes that the driver’s statements are normal, given the tradition Ferrari F1 Team has, but he hopes that Vettel would transform Red Bull into a “legendary” team, too.

“Just because he’s romantic doesn’t mean he’s going to give up everything that we have built together. As long as we offer him the perfect car, he will stay here. We are regarded more as the cool team. But who knows, maybe one day we will also be legendary – thanks to Sebastian,” said the 36 years old Brit for Bild magazine.

Otherwise, shortly after expressing his wish to compete for Scuderia Ferrari, Vettel confirmed he would stay at Red Bull F1 Team as long as he drives a competitive car. “I am happy with Red Bul, they give me the fastest car,” he said

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Sebastian Vettel believes that Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher will get back to the form they previously showed in F1 and anticipates that Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton will play an important role in 2011.

Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher had a modest 2010 Formula 1 season, looking unable to adapt to the new technical regulations.

Even so, from Vettel’s point of view, the tow ex-Ferrari team-mates are still fierce rivals in the race for the world title, because of their past performances.

“Massa didn’t have a good season but no one should underestimate him; it’s not so long ago that he was really strong [the Brazilian fought for the world title in 2008].  I think neither of them have forgotten how to drive. Schumacher’s history is too great to write him off, and Nico Rosberg has also showed us his strength,” said the German for Sport Bild magazine.

Still, when it comes to the world title fight, Vettel admits that Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are his main rivals. “Alonso for sure, and Hamilton is without question one of the best drivers. If our car is good enough, he [Webber] will get involved again,” Vettel added.

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Red Bull Racing have unveiled the first official pictures of the new Red Bull RB7 designed by Adrian Newey, with the team putting their hopes in this F1 car to bring them the world title again.

Red Bull F1 Team have revealed the new RB7 F1 car for the 2011 season in some pictures posted on the team’s official website only minutes before the official debut on the Ricardo Tormo track, in Valencia.

As you can see in the first pictures, the new F1 car developed by the famous engineer Adrian Newey, features the same high nose like all the singleseaters launched so far, but it has at least two major innovations compared to the rival cars: the engine case is significantly longer, while the rear wing has a whole different design. We remind you that this year the driver can adjust the rear wing.

More infos about the technical details will be available later, once Red Bull Racing unveils more photos and after the singleseater will start the testing session in Valencia.

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Sebastian Vettel would stay at Red Bull F1 Team until 2012 if he finishes in top three places in the F1 Drivers’ Championship and if he wins a certain number of Grands Prix in 2011.

This week, Red Bull Racing unveiled some terms of Sebastian Vettel’s contract. An article wrote by the German magazine SpeedWeek, owned by the Austrian energy drinks company, reveals some of the clauses of the new Formula 1 world champion contract.

According to them, Vettel is tied with Red Bull F1 Team in 2012 if he finishes the 2011 Formula 1 season in top three in the Drivers’ Championship or wins an unspecified number of GPs.

The information was confirmed by Helmut Marko, the Red Bull Racing consultant and right-hand of Dietrich Mateschitz, Red Bull GmbH owner, who claims that this clause helps the team keep their valuable drivers. “We will not let any top driver go,” he said.

We remind you that, in August 2009, Vettel extended his contract with Red Bull Racing until 2011, with an extension clause until 2012. Until now, the details regarding the 2012 season extension clause trigger were unknown, but the informations unveiled by Red Bull F1 Team have put the rumors to rest.

The new informations come after the international press wrote that Vettel might join Ferrari F1 Team after his contract at Red Bull Racing expires, a rumor that led to a powerful dispute between the two teams. It’s for the first time in the last years when a F1 team unveils the contract clauses of one of their drivers, clause that are usually top secret and only known by the two parties involved.

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Red Bull F1 Team will enter all the testing session of the winter, after they confirmed they will launch the new F1 car on February 1.

Red Bull Racing have completely changed their strategy (compared to last year’s one) and will launch the new car for the 2011 Formula 1 season before the first testing session of the winter.

The Austrian team hopes that the new Red Bull RB7 will help them defend the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships they conquered in 2010. The new F1 car will be officially presented on the Ricardo Tormo track in Valencia at 8:30 CET. “You heard it here first. The RB7 will be launched at 8.30am on February 1. In Valencia. In the pit lane. Quietly excited…,” said a Red Bull F1 Team official on their Twitter account.

Red Bull Racing became the ninth team to confirm the launch date of the new RB7 for 2011, as Force India, Hispania and Virgin saying they will use their old cars in the first testing session of the year. The things are the same for McLaren F1 Team, which will launch their new MP4-26 on February 4.

Here’s the complete list of the teams that already unveiled their cars launch date:

Via: RedBullF1Spy

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Willi Weber, the man behind the commercial success of Michael Schumacher, believes that Sebastian Vettel needs a manger in order to “sell his success.”

Despite being the youngest ever driver to win the Formula 1 world title, Sebastian Vettel chose not to use the services of a manager, saying several times that his is able to handle the F1 contracts by himself.

But F1′s most famous manager, Willi Weber, does not share Red Bull F1 Team driver’s point of view. The German, who was the manager of the seven times F1 world champion Michael Schumacher and currently is the manager of Nico Hulkenberg, believe that Vettel needs a manager for turning his success into money. “Now he [Vetttel] needs a manager more than ever, because he needs to sell his success. It’s all about the money he can make outside of the cockpit now,” he said for the German publication, Auto Motor und Sport.

Previously, Vettel said in many interviews that he is not interested in the commercial opportunities of Formula 1, but only in the results he can achieve on the track.

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Red Bull F1 Team’s Christmas post card makes fun of Ferrari’s team orders they dictated in Germany.

Formula 1 teams have a custom to make Christmas post cards, and lately, they even got on the web, even though they are made for a small number of recipients.

For this winter holidays season, the post card made by Red Bull Racing has all the chances to become the most creative one, as it mocks the Ferrari team orders, that made Felipe Massa let Ferando Alonso win in Germany.

So, the post card presents Sebastian Vettel behind the steering wheel of a Red Bull F1 car in a duel with Santa Claus, him competing in the famous reindeer-powered sleigh. The new Formula 1 world champion is team-radioed that he has to let Santa win: “Santa is faster than you… please confirm you understand this message,” is written on Red Bull Christmas post card, of course reminding about Rob Smedley’s famous message in Hockenheim.

Usually, the one with the most creative Christmas cards is Bernie Ecclestone, and Red Bull F1 Team is in the spotlight as well. This time, the owner of F1′s commercial rights alludes to Red Bull’s decision not to use the team orders, and Christian Horner can’t decide which driver should him favor, not even after he tosses a coin: “It does not always fall the way you think,” is the message sent by Ecclestone for Horner.

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Christian Horner believes that Red Bull F1 Team have won the F1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in the right way, after they refused to directly support any of their drivers.

Red Bull Racing insistently refused to use team orders to favor Mark Webber towards the end of this season, even though the Australian was in a better position that Sebastian Vettel in the last Grands Prix of the season.

Eventually, the strategy proved to be a good one, as if Vettel have let Webber win in Brazil, the German would not be able to become world champion in Abu Dhabi. Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing Principal, believes that the events prove the team have won the F1 world championships the right way.

Christian Horner (left), Dietrich Mateschitz (center) and Adrian Newey (right) enjoying Red Bull F1 Team's win

“I always said nobody had a crystal ball. I believe it has been won the right way, and it has been down to what they did on the track. We took a bit of stick on the way for not having switched them last week, but we have always believed in supporting both guys equally – and that is the way we go racing. It has been won the right way,” Horner said.

Although Vettel’s world title was outlined 20 – 25 laps before the end of the race, Horner admits that he was very nervous towards the end of the race, fearing that Sebastian Vettel may have the same technical problems as in South Korea.

“It was unbearable because we had been in that position a few times this season and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory – with Korea less than one month ago. I actually forgot to breathe at one point during the last five laps. I think Sebastian was the coolest of all of us. How these guys watch the big television while they go around is beyond me. To have won the drivers’ world championship and the constructors’ is just a phenomenal, phenomenal performance by every single member of the team,” Red Bull F1 Team Principal also said.

Via: Autosport

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