Webber negotiating to stay with Red Bull

By Alan Baldwin

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Australian Mark Webber said on Saturday he had opened contract talks to stay with his Red Bull Formula One team next season.

"We are talking now. I am free next year but I am massively keen to stay here, obviously," the 31-year-old told reporters at the Turkish Grand Prix after qualifying in sixth place for Sunday's race.

"What I love about this team is that I am employed to drive the car," he added. "If I have to do a contract day or a PR day, I ride a jet ski instead of going to talk to people that don't want to see me and I don't want to see them. That's great."

Webber, whose team mate is Briton David Coulthard, has bagged all of Red Bull's eight points so far this year and has scored for three races in a row.

The Australian, who joined from Williams at the end of 2006, has yet to win a grand prix with third place his highest finish to date. He was fifth in Spain two weeks ago.

He said he was "massively motivated" to perform at Red Bull, a Renault-powered team well funded by Austrian energy drink billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz and with top designer Adrian Newey on board.

Without that confidence in the future, or the chance to secure a top drive, Webber said he would walk away from the sport.

"I've always said I won't be around forever fighting for 12th, 13th or 14th," he added. "I'll just go and do something else. I have no interest in doing that whatsoever any more."