Sebastian Vettel is close to agreeing a contract extension with Red Bull.<\/p>\n
That is the claim of Germany’s Sport Bild, reporting that the reigning world champion will sign up through 2014.<\/p>\n
Currently, the 23-year-old’s deal is set to expire at the end of this season, even though an ‘option’ is expected to also keep him with the Milton Keynes based team in 2012.<\/p>\n
But team boss Christian Horner and owner Dietrich Mateschitz – although binding Mark Webber for the 2011 season only – have expressed eagerness to keep Vettel for a much longer term.<\/p>\n
The 2010 title winner has recently been musing a future switch to grandees Ferrari or Mercedes, but Sport Bild said Red Bull is offering him a new retainer of EUR 10 million per year.<\/p>\n
The German newspaper Bild said the figure is closer to 12m per year.<\/p>\n
The report also said Vettel will be given more free time, for example by limiting his PR appearances.<\/p>\n
Sport Bild said the deal could be announced mid next week.<\/p>\n
Dr Helmut Marko confirmed the talks: “We are in the talking phase and nothing is signed yet.\u00a0 It’s going to take some time yet.”<\/p>\n
It is also expected that Adrian Newey will stay at Red Bull until at least 2014.<\/p>\n
“We have bound until and including 2014 all of our most important pillars,” Marko added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Barcelona, the last test day of the 2011 pre-season for Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Mercedes is close to a complete wash-out.<\/p>\n
It has rained too much even for meaningful wet-tyre testing “and there is no sign of improvement on the horizon”, said Ferrari.<\/p>\n
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