Sebastian Vettel retiring after 2022 season

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#181

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Bottom post of the previous page:

Has Vettel already signed for Racing Point?

The rumour mill is suggesting a deal has already been done.... apparently lots of meetings have been noticed between RP and Vettel, one of which was in Otto Szafnauer's car which Vettel dismissed as co-incidence, and joked about a piece of paper he signed being an accident waiver for that journey!

Apparently the delay in making an announcement is to do with finalizing financial details, and the timing of it is not really good given the driver Seb will likely replace is suffering from Covid-19.
According to the latest reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sebastian Vettel and Racing Point have allegedly agreed on a deal for 2021. Keep in mind, these are rumors, so treat anything you read below accordingly.

Apparently, Vettel and Racing Point (soon to be Aston Martin) have had an agreement for some time now. The reason behind Racing Point and Vettel keeping things under wraps is due to Perez’s current condition.

Formula 1 can be ruthless at times, but announcing a new driver when the to-be replaced driver is recovering from a lethal sickness doesn’t scream professionalism.

Racing Point may have avoided an absolute PR disaster by keeping things on the down-low for now.

Another interesting reason behind the delay in announcing Vettel allegedly has to do with finalizing the German’s contract. Apparently, Racing Point and Vettel were tied up in discussing finances and Vettel’s role within the team.

“The basis of the agreement has been substantially decided for some time. But Vettel’s role had to be established. (and monetized)

“He would have had as Formula 1 ambassador of the new Aston Martin brand, which from 2021 will give the team its name. Well, the commercial details of the contract should now be in place too.

“Sergio Perez, the driver destined to be replaced by Vettel, contracted the coronavirus and was forced to miss a GP. So the team, for reasons of delicacy, could postpone the announcement of Vettel’s engagement.

“And separation from the Mexican,” reads a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport.
https://www.essentiallysports.com/f1-ne ... heres-why/

“I Signed Something”- Sebastian Vettel Confirms Ferrari Trip With Racing Point F1 Boss Amid Aston Martin Rumors

Sebastian Vettel just can’t stop getting out of the news in recent weeks. The German has long been rumored with a move to Racing Point/Aston Martin for 2021.

He has even admitted to having ‘loose talks’ with the team. But nothing concrete has materialized just yet.

Nevertheless, with each passing day, it seems like a move may be nearing reality for Vettel. At least, if the amount of contact we have seen between Vettel and Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer is anything to go by.

A day or two after the race in Britain, Vettel was spotted catching a ride with Szafnauer. And one can only imagine how the rumors picked up speed thereafter.

The 4-time World Champion was jokingly quizzed about that incident on Thursday’s drivers’ press conference. Vettel was asked if he found any contract papers in Otmar’s car, to which Vettel replied with some humor of his own.

“I signed something. I think it was a waiver in case he crashed that I was fine with it. That was a joke. Just making sure as nowadays people are getting things a bit wrong,” he said.

Sebastian Vettel talks about his little trip with the Racing Point boss

When asked about his ride with Szafnauer, Vettel said, “Correct, we went to the gas station. Then he went home, and I went somewhere else. It’s a nice car, a Ferrari 488 Pista. He talked about it a year ago, now he has one.

“I think it’s a bit peculiar that people make a big thing out of everything.”

Unfortunately for Vettel, as long as he remains without a contract, everything he does with a member of another team, he’s likely to end up in the news more often than not.

Reportedly, there was to be a big announcement made by Racing Point regarding Vettel, but Sergio Perez’s health took priority.
https://www.essentiallysports.com/briti ... in-rumors/

Yes, it is, until anything is confirmed, a rumour, but the cynical side of me says where there is smoke there is fire..... :suspicious:
I feel sorry for Perez if it is true, plus RP will have to cover the not insignificant Mexican money he brings from Carlos Slim. I also feel that given Hulk's form.....

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#182

Post by PTRACER »

I wouldn't sign up Vettel if I belonged to Racing Point. He finished out of the points again today and is 13th in the championship.

In fact he has so little points, Hulkenberg is only 4 points behind him despite only starting one race.
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#183

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

PTRACER wrote: 3 years ago I wouldn't sign up Vettel if I belonged to Racing Point. He finished out of the points again today and is 13th in the championship.

In fact he has so little points, Hulkenberg is only 4 points behind him despite only starting one race.
I would take Hulk over Vettel, and pocket the $$ difference any day of the week.

Plus if RP had not pitted Hulk for a 3 stopper (to let Lance beat him), Nico would have finished 5th and had 10 points from the one race that have taken Seb all season to get.
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#184

Post by jimclark »

@Everso BiggyballiesAll sounds well and good, except.....
Everso Biggyballies wrote: 3 years agoYes, it is, until anything is confirmed, a rumour, but the cynical side of me says where there is smoke there is fire..... :suspicious:
.....as, very often, I've tried starting a fire, and drat.....no flames....just smoke.
Other times, I put out a fire.....'again no flames....but the embers smoke on..... ;)
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#185

Post by Kai-Star »

Just listened to a podcast with Mark Webber. He was saying how Vettel is at his best when he is being loved and confident. I think that shows a lot for the performances this year. His career overall shows that he is not so much a midfield fighter, but get him upfront leading and suddenly he clicks.
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#186

Post by PTRACER »

Kai-Star wrote: 3 years ago Just listened to a podcast with Mark Webber. He was saying how Vettel is at his best when he is being loved and confident. I think that shows a lot for the performances this year. His career overall shows that he is not so much a midfield fighter, but get him upfront leading and suddenly he clicks.
Yes, I remember similar things being said during his time at Red Bull. If he is in the lead, he will dominate. If he is in 2nd/3rd/4th, his race is over. He always struggled to overtake and race wheel to wheel with other drivers.
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#187

Post by SBan83 »

Yes exactly, his race craft is nowhere near the likes of Hamilton or Verstappen when put in a crowd.
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#188

Post by Star »

Didn't you hear the radio message with Seb and the team? Their relationship is so over, he feels like they're actively holding him back now hence he complained about his pitstop being done at the wrong time. He blamed them and called it their mistake.

I don't expect Seb to go well the rest of this season, both sides have little respect for the other now and a demoralised driver almost never goes well in my experience.
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#189

Post by Antonov »

I thought it was sad that Seb blamed the team for the strategy call, whilst it was himself who threw it all away at the start.

obviously bad blood exists, and there is probably a lot of it which originated behind the scenes.
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#190

Post by P. Cornelius Scipio »

Star wrote: 3 years ago Didn't you hear the radio message with Seb and the team? Their relationship is so over, he feels like they're actively holding him back now hence he complained about his pitstop being done at the wrong time. He blamed them and called it their mistake.
Binotto confirmed that they changed his strategy so that he wouldn't hold Leclerc back... on the one hand if they really believe that Vettel is so unprofessional not to let his team mate through despite being on a different strategy they shouldn't let him drive and despite the fact that in the past it was Leclerc who had issues when having to let Vettel through and not the other way round (they could pay him his full salary and hire another driver like they did with Kimi a few years ago). On the other hand Binotto looks really naive and out of his depth if he thinks that such games will end well.

Vettel made a mistake yesterday, no doubt about that, but his car looked rubbish and that strategy call was wrong. It looks to me as if Ferrari is doing everything in their power to convince him to leave with immediate effect, the problem is that such games can backfire. It would be interesting to see Vettel driving for Racing Point for the next race (apparently McLaren is ready to let Sainz go and there were talks of Ricciardo being ousted by Renault before the end of the season, so all would be well apart for Perez...).

Yesterday Vettel was at the limit on most corners, his car was sliding all over the place, on certain corners he couldn't hit the apex and had to take very odd lines, maybe he forgot how to set up a car or how to drive it, the fact that Leclerc's Ferrari didn't look so bad makes me think

All in all I think that this is Ferrari at their worse, I wonder what will happen to Leclerc if they don't win the WDC in a matter of a couple of years
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#191

Post by Star »

P. Cornelius Scipio wrote: 3 years ago
Star wrote: 3 years ago Didn't you hear the radio message with Seb and the team? Their relationship is so over, he feels like they're actively holding him back now hence he complained about his pitstop being done at the wrong time. He blamed them and called it their mistake.
Binotto confirmed that they changed his strategy so that he wouldn't hold Leclerc back... on the one hand if they really believe that Vettel is so unprofessional not to let his team mate through despite being on a different strategy they shouldn't let him drive and despite the fact that in the past it was Leclerc who had issues when having to let Vettel through and not the other way round (they could pay him his full salary and hire another driver like they did with Kimi a few years ago). On the other hand Binotto looks really naive and out of his depth if he thinks that such games will end well.

Vettel made a mistake yesterday, no doubt about that, but his car looked rubbish and that strategy call was wrong. It looks to me as if Ferrari is doing everything in their power to convince him to leave with immediate effect, the problem is that such games can backfire. It would be interesting to see Vettel driving for Racing Point for the next race (apparently McLaren is ready to let Sainz go and there were talks of Ricciardo being ousted by Renault before the end of the season, so all would be well apart for Perez...).

Yesterday Vettel was at the limit on most corners, his car was sliding all over the place, on certain corners he couldn't hit the apex and had to take very odd lines, maybe he forgot how to set up a car or how to drive it, the fact that Leclerc's Ferrari didn't look so bad makes me think

All in all I think that this is Ferrari at their worse, I wonder what will happen to Leclerc if they don't win the WDC in a matter of a couple of years
So it could all potentially be musical chairs before Spa then, I am guessing it won't happen before Spain. It would be a bit cruel to get rid of Perez when he's off due to Covid-19. Then again, this is F1 and anything can and probably will happen.
Antonov wrote: 3 years ago I thought it was sad that Seb blamed the team for the strategy call, whilst it was himself who threw it all away at the start.

obviously bad blood exists, and there is probably a lot of it which originated behind the scenes.
You're right, Seb did make a mistake but the team made a bigger one. The radio message shows that their relationship is pretty much over now sadly.
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#192

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P. Cornelius Scipio wrote: 3 years ago ... on the one hand if they really believe that Vettel is so unprofessional not to let his team mate through despite being on a different strategy...
Yea, I think this is a valid concern. He hit his teammate on the straight during the last race of last year.
On the other hand Binotto looks really naive and out of his depth if he thinks that such games will end well.
I have not been on board with Binotto from the start (I have an innate suspicion of engineers as managers due to my own experiences). I think his days at Ferrari are numbered.
It would be interesting to see Vettel driving for Racing Point for the next race (apparently McLaren is ready to let Sainz go and there were talks of Ricciardo being ousted by Renault before the end of the season, so all would be well apart for Perez...).
I would not rule out something so weird occurring before the end of the season. Renault might be a little hesitant to let Ricciardo go early though.
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#193

Post by P. Cornelius Scipio »

Ruslan wrote: 3 years ago
P. Cornelius Scipio wrote: 3 years ago ... on the one hand if they really believe that Vettel is so unprofessional not to let his team mate through despite being on a different strategy...
Yea, I think this is a valid concern. He hit his teammate on the straight during the last race of last year.
On the other hand Binotto looks really naive and out of his depth if he thinks that such games will end well.
I have not been on board with Binotto from the start (I have an innate suspicion of engineers as managers due to my own experiences). I think his days at Ferrari are numbered.
It would be interesting to see Vettel driving for Racing Point for the next race (apparently McLaren is ready to let Sainz go and there were talks of Ricciardo being ousted by Renault before the end of the season, so all would be well apart for Perez...).
I would not rule out something so weird occurring before the end of the season. Renault might be a little hesitant to let Ricciardo go early though.
I don't think that Vettel would create problems for Leclerc, regarding what happened in Brasil I have a slightly different opinion (Vettel followed the very same line that any other driver in the same circumstances followed, Leclerc knew what was coming and didn't move, IMHO it's a bit like Rosberg and Hamilton at Spa in 2014, they were both there to prove a point).

Regarding Binotto I really struggle to understand how on earth did he get that job, when you listen to him talking he doesn't really come across as a leader of men

I agree that it wouldn't be wise for Renault to let Ricciardo go but if I'm not mistaken there were rumours before the start of the season that they were so p.....d off with him for signing with McLaren that they might drop him on the spot (given that Ocon has failed to impress one has to wonder who might replace Ricciardo at Renault, maybe Hulkenberg)
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#194

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@P. Cornelius Scipio - I would just like to give you praise with regards to your username.
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#195

Post by Ruslan »

P. Cornelius Scipio wrote: 3 years ago Regarding Binotto I really struggle to understand how on earth did he get that job, when you listen to him talking he doesn't really come across as a leader of men
I don’t know much about him, but I gather he is a very capable engineer, been with Ferrari for a long time, and I have heard people claim he is a very nice guy....but as a manager.... it has looked questionable since he started.
I agree that it wouldn't be wise for Renault to let Ricciardo go but if I'm not mistaken there were rumours before the start of the season that they were so p.....d off with him for signing with McLaren that they might drop him on the spot (given that Ocon has faliled to impress one has to wonder who might replace Ricciardo at Renault, maybe Hulkenberg)
Well, Ocon not matching up to Ricciardo may have more to do with Ricciardo’s capabilities than a lack of capabilities on the part of Ocon. I mean we have had a direct comparison between Hulkenberg, Perez and Ocon (and Sainz vs Hulkenberg). Perez and Hulkenberg were teammates and Perez pretty consistently outperformed Hulkenberg. Then Perez and Ocon were teammates, with Perez having the advantage the first year, and Ocon having the advantage the next year. So, this has led to me conclude that Ocon is better than Perez who is better that Hulkenberg who are all as good as or better than half the drivers on the grid (including Sainz). So, why isn’t Ocon matching Ricciardo? 1) that year and half lay off really messed him up, 2) he still has not adjusted to Renault, 3) Ricciardo is really really good. Not sure, but this is one of more interesting matchups of the season.

Right now with Renault in the running for 4th, they should be loathe to give up Ricciardo, especially as he is driving well.

On the other hand, Ferrari could do a swap of Vettel for Perez for the rest of the season.
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#196

Post by erwin greven »

Ruslan wrote: 3 years ago 3) Ricciardo is really really good.
This.

He outperformed many greats. Vettel and also Max when his car not failed or when his qualifications were not fucked up bc the Renault engine.
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