Vettel situation makes 2020 delicate for Ferrari - Montezemolo
Vettel situation makes 2020 delicate for Ferrari - Montezemolo
The 2020 Formula 1 season will be a "delicate" campaign at Maranello due to Sebastian Vettel entering the final year of his contract, according to former chairman Luca di Montezemolo.
Ferrari this week signed Charles Leclerc to a new contract until 2024, by far and away the longest commitment between team and driver on the F1 grid.
Vettel, however, has just a year left on his contract, a situation mirrored by many drivers on the grid including Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen and world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Mercedes driver has been strongly linked to Maranello in recent months, having met with current president John Elkann over the course of 2019, with mystery surrounding the topic of conversations between the two.
Montezemolo oversaw Ferrari's golden period with Michael Schumacher at the head of the team, and with Leclerc seemingly now installed as the team's leading light for years to come, the former chief says team principal Mattia Binotto faces a tough juggling act in 2020.
"Leclerc is a driver who can win, a tough guy in the races and intelligent, who learns from his mistakes and can become a champion," Montezemolo told Sky Sport.
"Certainly there have been moments that have had a negative impact on the team, the drivers must know that they are not running for themselves as I said it once to Barrichello.
"It takes clarity, a lot of willingness of both to realize this. This is a great responsibility that Binotto and the team will have, a delicate issue.
"Vettel must be calm, have confidence in his abilities, which are very strong. He must have a very open dialogue with the team. When it comes to the end of contracts there are delicate years."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Ferrari announce DRASTIC change as Verstappen issues dire warning to bosses - GPFans F1 Recap
- 1 hour ago
Hamilton sends strong message over Gaza deaths
- 3 hours ago
F1 giants announce name change with IMMEDIATE effect
- Yesterday 21:57
Horner admits Red Bull at MAJOR disadvantage with new rules
- Yesterday 20:57
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
- Yesterday 19:57
Sainz manager speaks out on 'game playing' over contract
- Yesterday 18:57
Related news
F1 giants announce name change with IMMEDIATE effect
Ferrari announce HUGE F1 change to iconic red livery
F1 team 'set to announce MEGA signing' in major Red Bull challenge
Big name driver 'very angry internally' after controversial battle
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