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Four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel could leave Ferrari at the end of the season, German newspapers reported Monday night. According to Auto Motor und Sport, the German driver and the Italian stable were unable to reach an agreement to extend Vettel’s contract, which expires at the end of the season. According to Italian reports, the German may be Renault or the next McLaren team.
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| Italian job done? (Photo: AFP) |
The German team had no comment on the German report, writes Reuters, which reported that negotiations between the parties have stalled, citing reports by Auto Motor und Sport and Bild.
The current 32-year contract with Vettel expires in late 2020 at Ferrari and Reuters said they have been unable to agree to a continuation, which could be officially announced on Tuesday.
| The 32-year-old German has competed in 102 races so far at Ferrari, winning 14 times, standing on the podium a total of 54 times, finishing second in the compound in 2017 and 2018, finishing third at the end of the year overall in 2015. |
According to the Italian La Gazetta dello Sport, Ferrari wanted to extend Vettel’s contract for one year, with a significant salary cut, which the German did not accept. In the Italian stable, a contract was signed late last year until the end of 2024 with the team’s other driver, Charles Leclerc, 22, meaning the team is clearly planning for the long term with Monaco, which Vettel does not explicitly like it.
“The Scuderia Ferrari offered Vettel a one-year extension and asked him to decide before the end of June whether to accept it. Sebastian’s doubts arose from the fact that he could not be treated in the same way as Leclerc within the team. Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri told me that it is impossible to hire a four-time world champion as the number two driver behind someone who has won two races so far, “said Leo Turrini, an internal Gazetta journalist.
However, also according to consistent press reports, two stables were also mentioned as the next possible Vettel team. According to planetf1.com, it could easily be that Daniel Ricciardo, who is at Renault and has spoken to Ferrari several times, could reach the Italians. The other possible “stand-in” could even be Carlos Sainz, who finished sixth in the World Cup points race with McLaren last season. In the case of both rumors, it would be a swap deal, meaning they could swap places with Vettel or Ricciardo or Sainz next year.
Sainz and Ricciardo’s contract will also expire in late 2020 with his current team.
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