Vettel leaving Ferrari

Aspecto · 12 May 2020 at 00:43

Just been announced on a number of news websites in the last 20 mins or so.

Vettel to leave at the end of the year after contract talks broke down with no agreement.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/52612216

So whats next for Vettel... where does he go? Who takes his seat? Does he retire from the sport?

timmeh · 12 May 2020 at 00:48

He’ll swap with Sainz although I’d quite like to see Ricciardo take the seat.

Maybe Hulk will make a return

mattyg · 12 May 2020 at 01:13

Id love Ricciardo to be win a championship I think he'd be a great ambassador

Steampunk · 12 May 2020 at 02:03

Aspecto said:
So whats next for Vettel... where does he go? Who takes his seat? Does he retire from the sport?

Apparently he's had offers from McLaren and Renault, but they are both in a rebuilding stage and Vettel may not see them as competitive.

englishpremier · 12 May 2020 at 03:50

With rules changes coming into play in 22. He might luck into a winning team if he can stick it out in 21.

koolpc · 12 May 2020 at 05:42

I bet Hamilton will join Ferrari.

I know he said he wants to stay at Merc but lets see!

spook2575 · 12 May 2020 at 08:14

Longshot but alonso to return to Ferrari?

CaptainRAVE · 12 May 2020 at 08:17

Seems like the best time to leave.

JRS · 12 May 2020 at 08:52

From the off topic thread:

I said:
In retrospect the warning signs with Vettel were there when he was demolished by Ricciardo in 2014. Much like they were there when Alonso nearly went off the rails towards the end of the 2006 season. Time for Ferrari to pause, take a deep breath and nurture Leclerc for a couple of years. Hire any old guy to run the second car. Get the personnel together and the car to actually do the job and then go nuts. Steamroller the opposition 2002/2004 style.

Assuming the sport survives this enforced break, of course

robfosters · 12 May 2020 at 09:00

koolpc said:
I bet Hamilton will join Ferrari.

I know he said he wants to stay at Merc but lets see!

Why would he jeopardise his chances of breaking the record by joining a lesser team?

chrismscotland · 12 May 2020 at 09:12

I half wonder if Ferrari might just get Kimi back for the last couple of years of his career - reliable, solid, rapid on his day and won't cause any ructions when asked to support Charles.

Greboth · 12 May 2020 at 09:13

englishpremier said:
With rules changes coming into play in 22. He might luck into a winning team if he can stick it out in 21.

There's always long shots but realistically that means Merc or Red Bull; with Hamilton and Verstappen at them respectively I don't see Vettel going to either. Verstappen seems happy with Red Bull, as Red Bull seem happy with Verstappen, so I think he's locked down there. There is the rumour of Hamilton going to Ferrari but I don't see it. The signs were there that Mercedes could be great; they were developing the car year on year, they were hiring some of the best people and building a structured team - a lot of what McLaren weren't doing at the time. So while the move to Mercedes was a gamble, it wasn't as shot in the dark. Ferrari haven't shown any of that and the only time they seem to have gotten close to Mercedes is by "cheating" with their PU.

Finners · 12 May 2020 at 09:22

If Hamilton went there it just seems like the team would implode.

Leclerc is fast enough ATM just don't know how he will cope in a championship fight. The Hulk would seem like the cheapest safe option with Kimi a close second. Neither I think would really help leclerc build though as Hulk hasn't won anything and I can't see Kimi giving words of wisdom

fez · 12 May 2020 at 09:35

Ferrari should get an experienced driver who will follow team orders to support Leclerc. No idea where Vettel will end up. His stock isn't super high and all the top teams would probably say that they either have better drivers than him or don't want the potential aggro he brings. If he went to Mercedes they would probably have next years title in the bag if they have a decent car but the chances of Vettel not causing problems is super low.

antijoke · 12 May 2020 at 09:38

His statement.

keylion · 12 May 2020 at 09:45

Supprised at the news, thought he'd be there another season. I think he'll retire, have been expecting him to in the near future anyway. He won't want to step down too much in terms of teams but more importantly he seems to have lost his passion for the sport in the last couple of seasons. He's not quick enough, too prone to errors and too difficult for a top team to want him.

keylion · 12 May 2020 at 09:47

After reading his statement above it kind of suggests he'll be retiring.

Mr Jack · 12 May 2020 at 09:57

Vettel's career is effectively over; it's just a matter of whether he sticks around for a few years. I can't see any reason a top team would take him. If Renault lose Ricciardo to Ferrari, they'd maybe want him, but otherwise I don't see him anywhere with a chance to win. There just aren't the slots. I hope he'll move to a different motorsport. Perhaps he can find success elsewhere.

I think Mercedes will want to take Russell on, leaving Bottas without a seat. He seems like a good choice for Ferrari, a solid, experienced driver with development experience at their top rival but who is not going to challenge Charles and can play the second driver role well. I'd like to see Ricciardo get it, but I don't think he will.

MissChief · 12 May 2020 at 10:04

My thought is Ricciardo (wages will be large), Sainz (wages less so, is he ready?) or perhaps even Hulkenberg coming back. Wages will be much, much lower, but will Ferrari be ok with the car spontaneously combusting every time Hulk is on for a podium?

Ferrari should be on the phone to Hamilton right now asking him to name his price. If he wants a Ferrari FXXK they should build one for him.

Wizzfizz · 12 May 2020 at 10:33

robfosters said:
Why would he jeopardise his chances of breaking the record by joining a lesser team?

indeed, it's too soon for Ham to go to a lesser term yet