[TusharK]

Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari will part ways at the end of 2020 F1 season.



It has been reported that Team Principal Mattia Binotto wanted Vettel to race alongside Charles Leclerc next year. But, Ferrari and the four-time world champion were unable to negotiate a new deal. Both parties were reportedly in talks for several months.

Vettel had joined Ferrari in 2015, replacing Fernando Alonso. During his time with the Scuderia, Vettel finished in the top three of the Driver's Championship on three occasions.

Ferrari signed Leclerc in 2019. The Monegasque rookie was impressive in his first F1 season, even beating the four-time world champion on few occasions.

Link to Team-BHP News

[createrkid]

This is honestly sad as hell. Ferrari truly robbed him of a WDC. Ferrari somehow makes it tradition to hire legends and give them a shitbox of a car.(Alonso, Mansell and Seb).
Seb does have what it takes , even now, to win a title if given the right opportunity. There are talks of Sainz going to Ferrari leaving a spot open in the grid. One can wonder where Seb would fit if he's not yet done with racing.

[arindam.dino]

Very sad news indeed!
Contenders in my mind could be Danny Ric or Bottas for a short time untill a certain Mr Mick proves himself worthy enough.
Also with upcoming regulations all teams would be looking forward to start from scratch and it should be a level field for everyone.

[DeKay]

A Spanish journalist named Antonio Lobato tweeted that Carlos Sainz Jr has been confirmed for Ferrari. It’ll be made public this week.

That said, whoever replaces Vettel won’t be able to replace the personality that is Sebastian Vettel.

This picture of his dad driving him home after his drive from the back of the grid to 2nd at the 2019 German Grand Prix will always be cemented into my heart. No matter what people say about his stint at Ferrari, he is without a doubt one of the best drivers this sport has ever seen.

FORZA SEB! Du bist ein Weltmeister

[Fury]

Sad but most people would have seen this coming ever since he rejected the single year contract with significantly reduced pay, offered by Ferrari. More than the pay, for Seb its a clear indication that he would have to play second fiddle to a 21 year old kid who joined the team last year.

He is better off in a team where he is the lead driver and if the news about Carlos Sainz Jr moving to Ferrari is true, he should take up the lead driver profile in Mclaren, especially considering they will undergo a major revamp with the Mercedes engines.

As for the second driver profile, I would have preferred to see Ricciardo take up that seat, since he deserves a much faster car with his talents and more importantly i think Max has been missing the battles he used to have with his old team mate and this would be an opportunity to restart that!

[GTO]

In my opinion, Vettel was losing his edge and making way too many mistakes over the last 2 - 3 years! LeClerc's performance did indicate that he is the future of Ferrari. I think it's the right decision for the team. Hope Vettel gracefully retires instead of joining a slower team.

Alonso tried to win a championship with Ferrari, as did Vettel, but neither of them succeeded (despite coming close). While the drivers have made a fair share of errors (Alonso off-track, Vettel on-track), Ferrari too is a complex animal. Insane politics, so many management changes and a strong culture that can swing either ways. Makes me appreciate more what Schumacher + Todt + Brawn accomplished in their red overalls.

[McLaren Rulez]

While Vettel leaving was all but guaranteed, the real surprise is that Ferrari might be choosing Sainz over Ricciardo. Of those two, it's pretty clear to me that Ricciardo is the stronger driver.

Perhaps they want a number two that doesn't quite Leclerc and they are confident that Leclerc is strong enough to beat Sainz consistently.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Perhaps they want a number two that doesn't quite Leclerc and they are confident that Leclerc is strong enough to beat Sainz consistently.

. Quite sad that Daniel's sheer speed can actually work against him? He's struggled a lot and deserves a fast car. IMHO, Ferrari should get out of their no.1 & no.2 mentality, and have two top drivers. Will do wonders for the team, and also the sport. Of course, Ferrari don't want both drivers to cancel each other out and have Hamilton win the championship. So, as a solution, whichever driver is leading by mid-season, move the support to him.

[rahulcmoulee]

Originally Posted by GTO

. Quite sad that Daniel's sheer speed can actually work against him? He's struggled a lot and deserves a fast car. IMHO, Ferrari should get out of their no.1 & no.2 mentality, and have two top drivers. Will do wonders for the team, and also the sport. Of course, Ferrari don't want both drivers to cancel each other out and have Hamilton win the championship. So, as a solution, whichever driver is leading by mid-season, move the support to him.

But we've seen enough evidence last season that the Ferrari strategists are clearly not capable of handling two No.1 drivers effectively. The no.of strategic errors that arose because of delayed/messed up team orders cost them dearly last season.


While it is sad to see Vettel leave Ferrari and potentially even the sport, it is also exciting to see what Ferrari can do with a new and refreshed driver lineup. The mistakes started creeping into Vettel's driving over the past few season. The pressure of winning a title with Ferrari was getting to him and to add to that the arrival of a fast and fearless Leclerc getting in the results from the get go was possibly too much for Seb to handle.

Seb wouldn't have wanted to play second fiddle to Leclerc which is what I think is the primary reason for his exit from Ferrari.

[deetjohn]

Is it really sad or surprising? Not really!

In fact, I find it amusing that Ferrari even offered Vettel a contract extension for 2021. The main points of disagreement was the tenure (1 year vs 3 that Vettel camp wanted) and the reduced salary. Is he really worth 40 million dollars a year?? Someone who costs the team that many points and delivers so little? I find it really really hard to fathom!

Vettel has been broken for sometime. The only thing consistent in the last few seasons have been those high profile mistakes. He is getting consumed by pressure and red mist. He never really recovered after Daniel kicked his behind at Red Bull.

And Charles is a machine! I have been following him ever since his GP3 title in 2016. A Ferrari academy driver who is fast and capable is always close to heart. And people forget that he is only 22. So, he isn't even at his best! Now, that's a scary thought.

Vettel will do well to join Formula E or something rather than lingering in F1 with a mid table team. And given the current climate, I don't think most will be able to match his compensation demands. It again becomes a question of return. And Formula E will do well to have a driver of his profile.

Regarding the second seat at Ferrari, I will be thrilled if it goes to Daniel. If Lewis cannot be swayed that is! The Avocado boy is fast and an extremely likable bloke. After many seasons drawing a blank, Ferrari's biggest objective should be that constructors title. And Charles + Daniel will be the best foot forward in that regard.

Good that at least the silly season got off to a start in 2020.

[Eshan Joshi]

Originally Posted by GTO

. IMHO, Ferrari should get out of their no.1 & no.2 mentality, and have two top drivers. Will do wonders for the team, and also the sport. So, as a solution, whichever driver is leading by mid-season, move the support to him.

You have a good idea Sir , but I don't think this would work out. We have seen this in the past with McLaren and Mercedes.

When both the drivers are fighting for the title , they often drift apart and spoil the team's spirit and are not willing to make sacrifices. I don't see any driver willing to give up his title hopes, if he is in contention midway into the season ,just to support his teammate . He would not be happy losing support from the team and definitely wont be happy losing position in the team.It would just be a disaster.

As for know, the wisest thing for Ferrari to do, is to bring in a midtable driver preferably Sainz. It will be a win win situation for both Leclare and Sainz.
I have explained the same in this post on the 2021 F1 Silly season thread:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intl-...ml#post4803849 (2021 Formula 1 silly season)

[fiat_tarun]

Well, the writing was on the wall for Vettel. He just wasn't able to handle the pressure and the many rookie mistakes only made things worse.

Looking back at Seb's stint at Redbull & Ferrari, it looks like Seb shines when the car is to his liking but can't improvise when it isn't. The way LeClerc drove last year in his first year really brought out this difference.

I really wanted Danny Ric to get the red seat as the guy has the talent and the experience which will balance Ferrari nicely. I think he's half Italian too, which is a big plus with a team like Ferrari. With reports coming in that Sainz has more or less been confirmed, it looks like this is not happening.

[RaceHorse]

There is this speculative news today morning.

Mercedes target Sebastian Vettel after he split with Ferrari and look to partner him up with Lewis Hamilton in Formula One DREAM TEAM.

Mercedes are considering partnering Sebastian Vettel with Lewis Hamilton in what would be the most decorated line-up in F1 history.

The possibility of the pair, who have 10 championship titles combined, racing together came about after Tuesday's announcement that Vettel would be leaving Ferrari at the end of the year, starting a huge driver shake-up.

There is even the remote chance of Hamilton seizing on the flux to land a seat at Ferrari. However, it is far more likely that Vettel's place will be taken by Carlos Sainz of McLaren, with Daniel Ricciardo then going from Renault to replace the Spaniard.

Source

[F150]

Here is my view.

Ferrari always lacked on strategy.

2015, 2016 - Ferrari didn't have a car that was a title contender.
2017, 2018, Seb lost the WDC, as he was compensating for the lack of strategy instead of focussing fully on driving. In stark contrast, Lewis always had James and Totto on the strategy, so he could focus only on driving.

2019 - Trusted deputy Kimi is gone, now Seb has to maintain his dominant position @ Ferrari, while trying to compete with Mercedes. We could see how Seb didn't even get a chance to finish Q3 at Monza.

He never had Schumacher, Brawn, Todt kind of setup, which is very critical for success in F1.

Seb won with Red Bull, because, his job was only driving. No politics. He had Christian Horner on strategy, who is the best in the business.

He is still a great driver, but he can only thrive in a supporting environment.

[PrideRed]

If you plan to end your career/retire, join Ferrari! I have stopped watching F1 since the time cars are competitive. Every year one manufacturer manages to do a good job and steals the show! May be there were moments when races were competitive and overall pretty boring I would say. Vettel looked promising when he went to win championships with Red Bull , but now seem to be going Alonso way with 2 extra trophies!