Mark Webber has signed a new contract committing him to the Red Bull team for the 2010 Formula 1 season.

The 32-year-old Australian won the German Grand Prix earlier this month to record his first F1 race victory.

Webber has been in impressive form this season with five podium finishes and his win at the Nurburgring lifted him to third in the drivers’ championship.

"I’m extremely happy Red Bull and I have been able to agree to race together again next year," said Webber.

"Even in the leaner and tougher years at the start of my relationship with the team, I’ve always enjoyed working with them.

"So now to go through this purple patch, which we hope will continue for a good while to come, makes the work even more enjoyable.

"We’ve a very exciting finish to this year’s championship, but I’m also looking forward to helping to develop and race the car in the 2010 world championship."

With team-mate Sebastian Vettel already signed up for 2010, Red Bull are the first team to definitively confirm their driver pairing for next season.

Webber and Vettel have closed in on championship leader Jenson Button after recent one-two finishes in Britain and Germany, and now now trail the Brawn driver by 21 and 22.5 points in second and third place respectively.

Team boss Christian Horner said it was an easy decision to re-sign Webber given his current form.

"He has continued to show huge commitment and determination this season, especially following his bike accident at the end of last year," he said.

"His recent results show he is on the form of his life – most notably with his recent win at the German GP – and he has the motivation to deliver at the highest level.

"It was therefore a straightforward decision to extend the relationship.

"We believe the driver line-up of Mark and Sebastian is one of the strongest in the sport."</p

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