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Webber sees Red Bull in top 5 next year

Williams driver Mark Webber expects Red Bull to emerge from the pack and challenge the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and Renault when he joins them in 2007

"I'm very confident Red Bull will be the most improved team next season," the Australian said today.

Red Bull Racing, which took over the Jaguar team Webber left for Williams at the end of 2004, announced on Monday that the 29-year-old would be driving alongside David Coulthard in 2007.

After Williams announced last week that Austrian test driver Alexander Wurz would be partnering Nico Rosberg in 2007, Webber's Formula One career lay elsewhere and he said he was delighted to take up the challenge with Red Bull.

"We are not going to win the world championship, I'm realistic but I am confident we can have a strong season, one which I am really looking forward to," he said.

"Red Bull want to win and whether that will happen next year could be a tall order, to be consistent points scorers is what we want. We could be in the top five next year, which would still be quite a hard challenge."

Webber revealed he knew before the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim he would be leaving Williams and be joining the team owned by Austrian energy drink billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz.

Flavio Briatore, Webber's manager and Renault team boss, orchestrated the move and the former Jaguar pilot was inevitably linked with the Renault seat vacated when world champion Fernando Alonso heads for McLaren in 2007.

"It was before Hockenheim I knew I would be going to Red Bull. Flavio gave me the minimum I could expect and I knew he would look after me and he's a man of his word.

"When Red Bull came for me they came pretty hard to the finish line and to tell you the truth I'm delighted to be with them."

He stressed he was disappointed to be leaving the Williams team but after a season dogged by reliability problems he thought his best chances lay elsewhere.

"Formula One careers are short and it's important to make the most of every year. It's disappointing it didn't work out at Grove but that can happen and we all suffered there together and still are.

"I'm not one for jumping ships, I'd have finished my career at Williams, but in the end you've got to look for something better for the future."

He refused to elaborate on speculation linking Red Bull with Renault's V8 engines next season.

"Rest assured Red Bull will have a very good engine next year. We've got Adrian Newey on board and we will have no worries there. As we've seen from this season, (the engine is) only one major part of what makes a car competitive."

Asked about the vacant seat at Renault, which is now expected to be filled by Finn Heikki Kovaleinen, Webber raised questions about Briatore's future.

"I've got a good idea what is going on (with the Renault seat), but maybe you should be asking Flavio what he's doing next season," he said.

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