With Mark Webber on a one-year deal, there is continued speculation as to who might partner Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull in 2013 and beyond. However, team boss Christian Horner insists it wont be Lewis Hamilton.

Recently, Bernier Ecclestone, who pretty much treats the sport as his very own Fantasy F1 game, suggested that Hamilton would be the ideal driver for Red Bull, the F1 supremo clearly eyeing the marketing potential.

However, ignoring the fact as to whether the German might want the Englishman for a teammate, the question remains as to how the Austrian outfit regards a man who has been part of McLaren since he was a child.

Horner is under no illusion. "I think that it's difficult to envisage Lewis in our team," he told reporters in Melbourne ahead of the season opener. "I think he's comfortable in the environment that he's in and we're certainly comfortable with the two drivers we have.

"We also took a decision to invest in youth and we've got two really exciting youngsters that are entering GP racing in Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo, both very talented drivers and deserve that opportunity," he continued. "It will be fascinating to see how they evolve during the year. So we would be more likely to look inwardly than outwardly.

"You've got to look at the balance within a team as well," he added. "It's important to have the right balance within any team, not just with the drivers but throughout the organisation. Our preference would probably be more to go with drivers in whom we have invested from a young age, and give them the opportunity to see how they evolve rather than take something external."

Asked about Webber, who is 36 later this year, and who insists that whatever happens with Red Bull he intends remaining in F1, Horner said: "I don't think Mark is going into this year thinking this is his last. He is motivated, he is hungry, he's enjoying Formula One again, he sees a future beyond the end of 2012. I think that inevitably when drivers get to a certain age it's logical to take things one step at a time which is what both Mark and the team agreed to do.

"There is no pre-requisite that Mark won't be in the car in 2013," he added. "It's a long season. We'll talk about things at the end of the year."

Red Bull has something of a reputation with regards its attitude towards drivers, patience not being a strong point. However, in the case of (rising stars) Ricciardo and Vergne, Horner is realistic when asked if either is ready to step up and replace Webber alongside Vettel.

"It might take two years, or even three," he said. "It's just a healthy situation for the team to have two really young talented drivers who we'll be able to gauge against each other."