Jenson Button sceptical over Ferrari's pandemic excuse for axing Sebastian Vettel

Ferrari

Button sceptical over Ferrari's pandemic excuse for axing Vettel

The 2009 F1 champion feels Vettel should have been given time this year

Ian Parkes

Saturday 4 July 2020 08:30

Jenson Button believes Ferrari's decision to axe four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel due to the pandemic to be "a very strange excuse".

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has claimed that while Vettel was still the Scuderia's first option in February when the SF1000 was launched, the onset of Covid-19 and the financial implications that came with it changed thinking.

But 2009 world champion Button has questioned Binotto's argument.

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Speaking on Sky Sports F1, Button said: "It's a very strange excuse, the pandemic, because he just cut him off and said 'Your services are not needed next year'.

"This is a four-time world champion, and he has been winning races for Ferrari over the years. For me, he did a reasonably good job last year. He made some mistakes that a four-time world champion wouldn't normally make.

"You could say he could have done a better job in certain places, but who knows. He is an extraordinarily good driver that made some mistakes that maybe he shouldn't have made last year, but his team-mate also made some mistakes he shouldn't have made last year.

"It just seems very strange to decide so early on, before the season has actually started they're not going to have him in the car for 2021."

Binotto has revealed that despite almost two months after the announcement was made Vettel would be leaving the team, the German, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on Friday, is still "not fully happy" with the decision.

Button feels that makes for a very unusual situation inside Ferrari, one that could rebound on them later in the year.

"It doesn't help anyone making that decision now, it really doesn't because Ferrari has got a whole year now with a driver that's going to be out of the door at the end of the year," added Button.

"He says he's going to listen to team orders, which he might do, but when he comes to the last race and he's leading, is he going to give it up? No."