Vettel's love affair with Formula 1 far from over says Ferrari boss
Vettel's love affair with Formula 1 far from over says Ferrari boss
Sebastian Vettel's passion for Formula 1 means he is far from finished with the sport, according to team principal Mattia Binotto.
Vettel and Ferrari announced earlier in the week the four-time champion would be leaving the Scuderia at the end of this season, ending what will be a six-year association.
That sparked a driver merry-go-round that saw Daniel Ricciardo join McLaren and Carlos Sainz take up Vettel's seat at Ferrari.
Although there is a seat at Renault available, and a slim chance of Vettel replacing Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes, the belief amongst many is the 32-year-old German will now retire.
Binotto, though, is not so sure, as he told Sky Italia: "As for Vettel's future, I think he's so passionate about this sport.
"He'll want to get back into it, although he'll have a few things to think about. We're looking at a long-term project.
"I think it was the right thing for him and for us. Only Seb knows what he will do in the future. He's a great driver and he'll make the right choice.
"He spent six years at Ferrari and the team has a special place in his heart. We have a good relationship with him, which isn't to be taken for granted when there's a parting of ways. There's a mutual understanding of the reasoning behind this change."
Ferrari's 'long-term project' means for 2021 Sainz and Leclerc will represent Ferrari's youngest driver pairing in 50 years - Leclerc will be 23 and Sainz 26 going into next season.
Binotto concedes the team has taken "a gamble".
"The world has changed during this time and we have to look at the future of F1 in a different light," added Binotto. "There's a new challenge that we must all embrace and we believe we've singled out the right person to complete our team.
"Carlos Sainz is a young driver and Ferrari haven't had such a young driver pairing in 50 years. It's a gamble for us and we're happy to be taking on this challenge. We want to begin a new cycle.
"It'll be a tough path, but putting faith in youngsters is also geared towards that, not just for the drivers, but also for the mechanics. Sainz is a very nice and intelligent guy.
"He is a real team player and works very hard, so having him alongside Charles will be useful. He's done well over the last five seasons and has almost always reached the finish line, earning his team so many points in the process."
Before you go...
Will Hamilton be made to regret offering advice to Russell?
Vettel's love affair with Formula 1 far from over says Ferrari boss
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Horner delivers Newey VERDICT as design guru's Red Bull exit is confirmed
- 39 minutes ago
F1 team boss responds to Red Bull's Marko 'offer' claims
- 1 hour ago
F1 champion SLAMS 'pointless' motorsport crossover
- 2 hours ago
Why Adrian Newey is the BEST and WORST thing to happen to F1
- 3 hours ago
F1 Miami Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today
- Today 14:20
Adrian Newey: The real F1 MVP and genius behind Red Bull domination
- Today 13:10
- 1
Related news
Leclerc pictured with new love as post hits 3 MILLION likes
Newey 'desire' for DIFFERENT role at Ferrari revealed
Ferrari show off new-look drivers following HUGE announcement
Sky Sports F1 pundit dumbfounded by key Ferrari decision
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860