[nax04]

From my point of view, Vettel has lost his luck. He is making lots of mistakes during high speed battles.

There are rumors that Mercedes will close down or go up for sale after 2020.

Link1

In this case, Lewis might quit Mercedes and join Ferrari!

Reports also mention that Vettel might quit F1 -- Link2
or join Renault/Mclaren (probably retirement package is in place) -- Link3

[Doge]

Good riddance. I was a fan of Seb, naturally since I started to watch in the glory days of Redbull. I still like him off track, he has a good sense of humour.
But on the track he has been quite a menace recently. The way he rejoined the track in Canada last year was so reckless, he should have been black flagged.
Then there was the bro bump he gave to Charles and acted like it was't his fault.
His behavior is quite immature for his experience and there are just better drivers to take the seat. Plus he is quite a jerk on the track, like I said before.

[turbo]

Sainz to replace Vettel

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...errari-in-2021

[nuew]

I had been a fan of Vettel in his Redbull days and had high hopes for him when he moved to Ferrari. However, as we all know, it didn't go well as expected though it wasn't only his fault. As of late, Vettel seem to crack under pressure more than his Redbull days. He is no longer the person on track when he was in Redbull. The cars that don't meet his talent, the expectations than comes with running for a legendary team, the added pressure from the Tifosi and now a better performing team mate, all seems to have got to him.

Whether the 4 time world champion retires or sit out a season or two before making a return or take the challenge of pushing up a mid-field team will be upto him. None of the top teams seems to have a seat open for him unless something unexpected happens.

Now I am more interested to see who will be taking that empty seat in the Ferrari Team. Out of the top contenders Sainz and Ricciardo, I am rooting for the Aussie. Ricciardo truly deserves a shot at the championship. More than that, the driving style of Ricciardo and LeClerc is very different which would help the team to put both on very different strategies. LeClerc may even get a chance to learn more than a tip or two from his more experienced team mate. Also Ricciardo isn't the type of a person who would rock the boat. I'm pretty sure LeClerc and Ricciardo would work better than Vettel and LeClerc or Ricciardo and Verstappen as teammates.

[Reinhard]

Well I'd have liked for the finger-boy to win a championship with Ferrari. The Wunder-Kind of the previous generation (in F1 time scale) had grown up looking at MS in a Ferrari and had always dreamed of being a Ferrari F1 driver. So in that way, I feel sorry that the partnership didn't bear fruits. Its not a surprise, just a shame. There were only some chances, never a confidence that the pair will win it.

A championship win with Ferrari would have also boosted Seb's overall rating since he'd have proven his own caliber and quashed any statistics of him being a world championship only because of Adrian Newey's masterclass at engineering. Alas - unless he lands a Mercedes ride next year - he'll have to now live with that statistic. The Redbull cars were championship material, he just drove them around! Even I wish he wins another championship outside of Redbull. I wonder how much he would be wishing!

And there is talk that Carlos Sainz will replace him? I'd rather the Torpedoman Russian Daniil Kvyat gets a Ferrari drive instead. Entertaining driver that one.

[fastturtle10]

I must say I am excited to see Sainz race for Ferrari as he had a promising season with McLaren and think he has the fire deep inside to constantly improve himself physically and mentally. The question is now is whether Daniel will go to McLaren? I must say I enjoyed watching videos of the bromance between Sainz and Norris but I've got a feeling Ricciardo and Norris are going to be an interesting pair.

[Night_Fury]

I absolutely love Seb and its sad seeming him go. I'm hoping he can still get into a top team. This opens up all sorts of interesting possibilities. Looking like Ferrari is gonna go with Sainz. I am hoping Riccardo will move to Mclaren to partner up wtih Norris which would be my DREAM TEAM

[fz_rider]

If the season goes on, we will see Vettel drive more freely, as seen with Kimi. 2018 was somewhat resurgence of Kimi, and once it was apparent that there is no contract, he drove even better.
Coming back to Vettel, he will be the biggest bargaining chip for Mercedes. They can drive a good deal out of both Hamilton and Bottas.
There are plenty of drivers to choose from for Ferrari, in a way Vettel forcing them to announce played into their hands.

[arindam.dino]

Read somewhere about Toto and 200 mil and Aston Martin Racing something. Surely gossip! (But what, If Not...?!!)

Lets enjoy silly season in these mad mad times

[Surprise]

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...hB6p7IU9c.html

"My relationship with Scuderia Ferrari will finish at the end of 2020,” said Vettel. “In order to get the best possible results in this sport, it’s vital for all parties to work in perfect harmony.

“The team and I have realised that there is no longer a common desire to stay together beyond the end of this season. Financial matters have played no part in this joint decision. That’s not the way I think when it comes to making certain choices and it never will be.

“What’s been happening in these past few months has led many of us to reflect on what are our real priorities in life. One needs to use one’s imagination and to adopt a new approach to a situation that has changed. I myself will take the time I need to reflect on what really matters when it comes to my future.

“Scuderia Ferrari occupies a special place in Formula 1 and I hope it gets all the success it deserves. Finally, I want to thank the whole Ferrari family and above all its “tifosi” all around the world, for the support they have given me over the years.

“My immediate goal is to finish my long stint with Ferrari, in the hope of sharing some more beautiful moments together, to add to all those we have enjoyed so far."

As per reports Sainz is set to replace Vettel. I wish Ricciardo gets there & it will very interesting to see how he fares with Leclerc

[motorworks]

So there is speculation that Seb turned down an offer from Mclaren, not sure how true this is, but surely makes sense from his point of view. He is not in the same mould as Kimi, who just drives for fun and does not really care about results, so why hang around at Mclaren where even a podium is not a guarantee for the next 2 years?

The way I see it, Seb is going to call it a day. He had been a full time F1 driver since 2008, so thats nearly 13 seasons of hectic F1, and 12 years in top teams like Red bull and Ferrari. I can only recall Hamilton and Kimi in the current batch of drivers who have raced as long.

Alonso, Hamilton and Seb are the top drivers of the last decade and no one can question their records or legacy. And the way these 3 drivers have had pressure and expectations, I think it takes a toll on them, especially Alonso and Seb who have had to endure the added pressure of being the lead driver for Ferrari for more than 5 years, and yet not delivering a championship.


Seb has made his money, he is still incredibly popular with Fans and remains a sports icon in Germany, so if he does retire, im happy for him and Im sure he would find his calling somewhere else. Im hoping that he comes back in to F1 in an administrative role, he would be very good at it.

[nuew]

As per some sources, Ricciardo had signed the contract with McLaren even before Sainz was confirmed for the Ferrari seat. I hope it works out for him in the long run, especially after the rule changes that are expected for the 2022 season and doesn't have to join the ranks of those great drivers who never won a Championship. There have been rumors on the possibility of Mercedes and McLaren joining their forces to be one team in the future like they were in the past. If that happens, he may even be driving alongside Hamilton some day.

With Sainz by the side of LeClerc, I am starting to feel Ferrari is trying to recreate the magic of the Schumacher-Barichello pair. Two talented drivers with one having an edge over the other. Will Sainz turn out to be a surprise and outperform LeClerc as LeClerc did with Vettel? That will be interesting to see.

[Red Liner]

I doubt Leclerc will be outperformed all the time by Sainz. Sure, there will be races where Sainz might be better, but overall Leclerc is really the bees knees.

The future tense will be the fights between Max and Leclerc.

[thehighwayman]

Originally Posted by nax04

There are rumors that Mercedes will close down or go up for sale after 2020.

If this indeed happens , the future of F1 is under serious threat. Renault has been mulling an exit from F1 for a while now and that decision may now be expedited given the financial trouble they find themselves in.

Although Mercedes will probably continue to supply engines, F1 ,if it exists, will be a pale shadow of its former self with not many of the historic teams around.

[Simha13]

Vettel confirms move to Racing Point as they rebrand as Aston Marton from 2021. Amazing killer mover just before Ferrari's 1000th GP.