Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has claimed that securing a contract extension for driver Sebastian Vettel was a "formality".

The three-time consecutive world champion signed a one-year extension earlier this week, keeping him with the Milton Keynes-based team until 2015.

"It was more of a formality than anything else," Sporting Life quotes Horner as saying. "We have a long-term agreement with Sebastian, and it was just perfect timing for both sides to extend for another year.

"The details of the contract between the parties are always going to be confidential. The fact he has signed this extension though shows his commitment to Red Bull, and hopefully the relationship will go beyond 2015, which is already some way into the future."

Vettel currently tops the drivers' championship rankings with 132 points.