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By Jonathan McEvoy for the Daily Mail
22:30 May 12, 2020, updated 22:47 May 12, 2020
- Vettel has announced that it will leave Ferrari at the end of the 2020 season
- Move will start a big shake of the driver with Carlos Sainz who will probably replace him
- German is firmly on Mercedes’ radar as an alternative to Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes is considering associating Sebastian Vettel with Lewis Hamilton in what would be the most decorated lineup in F1 history.
The possibility of the pair, who have 10 combined championship titles, competing together came after Tuesday’s announcement that Vettel would leave Ferrari at the end of the year, beginning a major shake-up of drivers.
There’s even the remote possibility that Hamilton will take advantage of the flow to land at Ferrari. However, Vettel’s place is much more likely to be filled by Carlos Sainz of McLaren, with Daniel Ricciardo leaving Renault to replace the Spaniard.
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And while it’s unclear at the moment whether Vettel, 32, will retire at the end of the year or seek a final contract elsewhere, he’s firmly on Mercedes’ radar as an alternative to Valtteri Bottas.
“Sebastian is a great driver, a great personality and an asset to any Formula One team,” team principal Toto Wolff said Tuesday. “As we look to the future, our first loyalty lies with current Mercedes drivers, but naturally we must take this development into account.”
Vettel will leave after contract talks have been interrupted in recent weeks. He was pushed instead of jumping, or squeezed, at best. He was the victim of an internal review that decided he was over the requirements, with the 22-year-old Monegasque Charles Leclerc, the undisputed main man in the Scuderia.
“They no longer believed in Sebastian,” said an Italian source close to the scene.
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It is understood that the negotiations did not even talk about money before they were suspended.
Vettel then leaked the news into the German media on Monday night, forcing Ferrari to issue an official confirmation on Tuesday morning.
Team principal Mattia Binotto said: ‘The decision was not easy to reach, given Sebastian’s value as a driver and person. The time had come to go our separate ways to achieve our respective goals. ”
Vettel admitted that “there was no longer a common desire” to maintain the relationship. He added: “For the best possible results, it is vital that all parties work in harmony.”
You’ll see this season, if you reboot, in the red jumpsuit he’s been wearing since joining the Scuderia in 2015 in hopes of emulating his childhood hero Michael Schumacher in the championship success.
Despite the 14 wins, the dream did not materialize, his performances getting rougher compared to the serenity of his titles in a dominant Red Bull between 2010 and 2013. Errors increased, his confidence seemingly skyrocketed. Arguably, he should have won the title in 2017 and 2018. Hamilton would have if he had been in the Ferrari.
And then came sophomore Leclerc, who stripped the German of his primacy on the team last season. Vettel was clearly feeling the pressure falling on a spoiled Ferrari driver. I was at a point of no return.
You may have other options for 2021. In addition to Mercedes, there is interest from Racing Point / Aston Martin. Renault are another possibility. McLaren not so much, his name is below Ricciardo on the list.
As for Hamilton and the Ferrari link, the thread is thin. The Scuderia has expressed its intention to back Leclerc by signing him up for the winter in a five-year contract that retains him until 2024. Unimaginatively, they want Sainz, decent but not a docile Rubens-style No. 2 Barrichello.
Sainz will be relatively cheap with a salary of less than £ 10 million a year, at least a third of what they would have to pay Hamilton.
The six-time Mercedes world champion’s contract is due to be renewed at the end of the season, but talks have stopped as the coronavirus lurks.
It might still surprise you by calling Ferrari President John Elkann and pushing to make the change. The two men have been in dialogue before. But Hamilton seems happy, which is a shame because moving to Maranello would be the breath of fresh air the sport needs.
Renault’s expected Ricciardo move could open the way for his double world champion Fernando Alonso to return from his Formula One break. He is desperate to return.
As for Vettel, he is taking time, he said, to reflect on his next steps in life.
