Formula 1: Is this Sebastian Vettel’s final season?
By Asher Fair
Sebastian Vettel won’t be back with Ferrari next year. But will he retire from Formula 1 altogether after the 2020 season concludes?
Following an offseason which was effectively doubled in length due to the coronavirus pandemic and featured multiple driver lineup changes for 2021, four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel is set to enter his final season as a Ferrari driver.
Vettel’s contract with the Scuderia expires after the 2020 season, and Ferrari opted to not even offer him a new deal, despite reports that he had rejected a “joke” of an offer. Instead, they signed Carlos Sainz Jr. from McLaren back in May to pair with Charles Leclerc beginning in 2021.
Sainz’s contract runs through 2022 while Leclerc’s, which he extended back in December, runs through 2024. While McLaren quickly confirmed that Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo is set to replace Sainz next year, Vettel was not confirmed as the replacement for anybody.
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As a result, the 33-year-old German is the only one of the 20 drivers set to compete this season who has lost his ride for next year and not landed another year.
Will he be back next year?
Vettel has been linked to several different teams for next year, but the door seems to have already closed on many of them, including McLaren, Mercedes, Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing. A move to Renault has also been all but shut down.
Here is what Vettel had to say about the prospects of returning to Formula 1 with another team in 2021, according to ESPN.
"“To do so I need the right package and the right people around me, so that’s what I’m looking out for at the moment. If the right opportunity should arise, then it is quite clear. If that’s not the case, then I’ll probably have to look out for something else.”"
One possibility that has been floated is Vettel missing the 2021 season but returning in 2022 should the right opportunity arise. However, it would appear that if he does not return in 2021, he won’t be back after that either.
"“I don’t know, if the right thing comes together and comes up and I’m willing to continue, then I feel I have much more to give. If that’s not the case and doesn’t come together, then, as I said, probably time to do something else.“But I am of the conviction that if you are prepared to let’s say shut the door then you should be prepared to shut that door, and not shut it expecting it to open again. You have to be aware of the decision you are making at the time and that’s also why I’m not rushing into anything. The next weeks and months will probably be bringing some more clarity.”"
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Vettel is set to begin his 14th Formula 1 season and his 13th season as a full-time driver this Sunday, July 5 with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, the race which was slated to be the 11th of a record-breaking 22 races this year before the coronavirus pandemic struck. ESPN2 is set to broadcast this race live beginning at 9:10 a.m. ET.