Vettel non-committal over Ferrari team orders for this season

Sebastian Vettel has suggested he will continue to fight Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc if the opportunity arises this Formula 1 season.

Both Vettel and Leclerc were guilty of ignoring team orders in 2019, and the four-time F1 champion has refused to confirm if he would obey or defy instructions at any stage this campaign.

Vettel, who is leaving the Scuderia at the end of this year, when asked whether he would comply to orders, replied: "I’ve always tried to integrate inside the team, and the same goes for my time with Ferrari.

"As much as you want to have success on the track and look after your own results, I think in the end you are driving for a team as well, and I think this is very difficult to answer.

“We don’t know what type of season we will have ahead of us. We don’t know yet how competitive we will be.

“I’m sure that, should the situation arise, and it makes perfect sense, I think you would expect both drivers to help each other out."

Vettel sits behind only Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda in terms of race victories for Ferrari in F1, and team principal Mattia Binotto described the German as "not fully happy" over the decision not to renew his contract.

Despite this, Vettel claims the contract situation has no bearing on his actions, adding: “I don’t think that has anything to do with the fact that my contract expires, and I am going to leave the team.

"But as I said, at the same time you are racing for yourself, and I’m not trying to make Charles’s life easy out on track, waving him by.

“We have been fighting each other in the past, and we will continue to do so.”

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