0:08 - Vettel Open to Leaving Ferrari 1:15 - Haas Could Quit F1 After 2020
2:05 - Red Bull Future Hinges on Max and Honda
2:50 - Fast Feed
Vettel Open to Leaving Ferrari
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel had a rough 2019 when he was beaten in the championship standings by a much younger teammate for the second time in the hybrid era.
As such, the possibility of him re-signing with Ferrari has been called into question multiple times.
Some people have defended Vettel though by saying that Ferrari has always come up short when it comes to providing him with a championship worthy car.
Vettel has now revealed his thoughts on his future plans.
"I had a little bit of time in the winter and I used it to make up my mind that I definitely want it to continue in F1 and that I still enjoy it.”
And when asked if it was an option to leave Ferrari he would go on to admit that he is open to moving elsewhere and cited 7-time champion Michael Schumacher who did something similar.
"It is [an option]. I think there is even an example of a German who went somewhere else after Ferrari, if I remember correctly."
Ferrari are also keen to come to a decision soon. The team principal Mattia Binotto said:
"We have started to discuss it with Seb. They are preliminary talks, but soon we will get to the point where we evaluate what is best for both of us. I believe and hope that an agreement can be reached very quickly."
Haas Could Quit F1 After 2020
Haas, which is the youngest team on the grid could also be the next to quit the sport altogether. Team owner Gene Haas does not see much business sense in continuing in a middling position.
"I'm just kind of waiting to see how this season starts off. But if we have another bad year, then it would not be that favourable."
"We did five years. That was really the test - we're going to do this for five years, see how it goes and evaluate it and then we'll decide whether to go forward."
"I'm not saying we won't be back. It has to be evaluated. To do it for another five years, though, that would be a big commitment."
Red Bull Future Hinges on Max and Honda
Unlike the big budget teams, Red Bull is not a car manufacturer and it uses the sport to advertise its energy drink. Team principal Christian Horner elaborated on this by saying:
“The reality is, Red Bull make an energy drink worldwide. Formula 1 is a platform to promote and advertise it."
Horner further revealed just how big of a role the success of their relationship with Honda and subsequently keeping Max around will play in their future in F1.
"If this new relationship with Honda doesn’t work, if we lose Max Verstappen, then you’d have to question Red Bull’s long-term commitment to Formula 1.”
Fast Feed
- Alfa Romeo driver Kimi Raikkonen is pleased to "have a reliable car" for 2020
- Ferrari and the FIA reached a confidential settlement with regards to their 2019 engine and the other teams have "strongly" objected to it and have threatened to "bring an action before the FIA and the competent courts as part of a fair trial."
- Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has confirmed that the team is “a lot more careful" when it comes to sponsorship deals now after the Rich Energy saga
- Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton considers the team's improved performance as "the logical continuation of" "last year"
- Toto Wolff, the team boss of Mercedes wants his team "to be an example for fast and open innovations for a sustainable future"
- McLaren's Lando Norris is "very happy with things and the progress" his team made during the second test
- Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn is of the opinion that if "a team is prevented from going to a race because of a decision of the country then it's difficult to have a fair competition"
- Red Bull's team principal Christian Horner considers it "foolish to underestimate" Ferrari " going into Melbourne
- Racing Point's technical director Andrew Green feels that teams complaining about his team's improvements are doing so as they "haven't stepped up to the plate" like they should have
- Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel feels that "Mercedes is at the top" as "they are fairly quick with ease"
- Williams' deputy team principal Claire Williams does not want to give her team "too many compliments" regarding the team's performance improvements compared to last year
- Alfa Romeo test driver Robert Kubica blames his poorly performing Williams for hindering his career as he believes he may otherwise "be preparing to race in Australia" right about now
- Williams reserve driver Jack Aitken will take part in the Australian Grand Prix S5000 support race alongside former F1 drivers Rubens Barrichello and Giancarlo Fisichella
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