Welcome to F1Minute - Red Bull confirm Mark Webber for 2012.

Mark Webber celebrates his 35th birthday today and can also party safe in the knowledge that he’s secured himself a race seat for next season. Red Bull confirmed the Australian as partner to Sebastian Vettel for 2012, the fourth season that the two will race alongside, and in some cases against, each other.

Christian Horner spoke about the easy decision, saying: “When we sat down and started talking about 2012, it was immediately obvious that Mark and the team wanted to continue our successful relationship. This meant agreeing an extension for 2012 was very straightforward.”

For his part, Webber said he still has goals he wants to achieve, adding: “I want to continue racing at the top in Formula 1 so it’s a no-brainer to remain at Red Bull Racing for another year. My motivation to achieve the best results possible both for myself and the team is still very high.”

This puts pay to any speculation that Daniel Ricciardo could make a leap forward to the top team at Red Bull, leaving his future open for debate.