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LONDON: Four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel will leave Ferrari at the end of the season, the Italian team announced on Tuesday (May 12).
“This is a decision made jointly by us and Sebastian, one that both sides consider to be best,” team principal Mattia Binotto said in a statement.
“It was not an easy decision to make, given Sebastian’s value as a driver and as a person.”
Vettel, who teamed up in 2015 to emulate childhood hero Michael Schumacher to win titles with the sport’s oldest and most glamorous team, is out of contract at the end of the year.
Where will the 32-year-old German go now, and indeed whether he will remain in a sport whose delayed season has not yet started due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are the big questions.
“The team and I have realized that there is no longer a common desire to stay together beyond the end of this season,” said Vettel.
“Financial issues have played no role in this joint decision. That is not the way I think when it comes to making certain decisions and it never will be.”
“What has been happening in recent months has led many of us to reflect on what our real priorities are in life,” he added.
Vettel said he would take the time now “to reflect on what really matters when it comes to my future.”
The German media, which marked the departure on Monday night, reported that Vettel had rejected the terms offered by Ferrari.
Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport recently reported that Vettel, who won 14 races with the team and is his third most successful driver, was offered a one-year extension with a pay cut.
The German, who won his titles with Red Bull, told reporters last month that he could make a new deal before the start of a season delayed by the coronavirus outbreak.
Ferrari had also said that the German was his first choice to partner with Charles Leclerc.
Binotto said there was not a single reason that led to division, “apart from the common and friendly belief that the time had come to go our separate ways to achieve our respective goals.”
Leclerc, who won two races last year and is only 22 years old, has a contract until 2024 and is seen as the future of Ferrari and probably the first champion since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.
The Monegasque beat Vettel last year in his first season at Ferrari, finishing ahead of him overall and earning more points, poles, podiums and wins.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Renault and McLaren Spaniard Carlos Sainz have installed themselves as the top candidates for one of the most coveted seats on the grid.
Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has also been associated with Ferrari, but has repeatedly indicated that he intends to keep Mercedes.
