Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Ferrari at the end of the season after a mutual agreement was made between the two according to BBC Sport.
The German joined Ferrari in 2015 but by his standards has not reached the heights than he did when with Red Bull Racing. Vettel was crowned World Champions four times when with Red Bull. Team principal of Ferrari, Mattia Binotto stated, “There was no specific reason that led to this decision, apart from the common and amicable belief that the time had come to go our separate ways in order to reach our respective objectives.”
Binotto in the statement which was released on the Ferrari website said that Vettel is already part of Scuderia history, he said, “Sebastian is already part of the Scuderia history, with his 14 Grands Prix wins making him the third most successful driver for the team, while he is also the one who has scored the most points with us”.
Meanwhile Vettel has come out and said that financial matters haven’t played a part in the decision. He said, “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”. He continued, “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.”
It remains to be seen who will now become the replacement for Vettel. BBC Sport report that Carlos Sainz of Spain, who is currently driving for McLaren, is linked to taking over the hotseat. Lewis Hamilton is out of contract with Mercedes at the end of the 2020 season. However he has signalled his intention to stay with them so he can be ruled out. I expect an announcement on this in the coming days.
