Sebastian Vettel insists that he will continue with Ferrari for the 2020 Formula One season and officially the Maranello team has never hinted at a line-up change for next season, but the Italian media has recently reported that Ferrari is taking into consideration the possibility of signing Daniel Ricciardo in case the German driver and Ferrari will not find common ground to continue the partnership which started back in 2015.
According to newsmondo.it, the Daniel Ricciardo hypothesis comes up in case of an early farewell from Sebastian Vettel:
“The Scuderia is preparing to plan next season. The name of Ricciardo for Ferrari takes hold in the event of an early farewell by Sebastian Vettel. The Maranello team is approaching the time to make a decision regarding the future, as Mattia Binotto and his team will have to decide whether coexistence between the German and Charles Leclerc is only difficult or actually impossible.
The race in Brazil would seem to give a fairly comprehensive answer, but making a fast decision would be a mistake that Ferrari cannot afford. Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc have shown throughout the season that they do not seem able to work toegheter in the interest of the team. Or rather, both run for victory. And to achieve it they must do battle or accept the team’s decision. Both things have not succeeded very well in a complicated year but that leaves good hopes for the future.
At Ferrari, therefore, it will be necessary to choose whether to go ahead with the two drivers currently available or change the cards on the table. The feeling is that the decision will be up to those directly involved. In the event that Ferrari were to sacrifice one of the two, most likely the Maranello team would bet on Charles Leclerc – who is now seen as certainty – and would let Sebastian Vettel go.
The Lewis Hamilton idea seems destined to remain unlikely. Freeing Charles of a weight like Sebastian Vettel to go and put an even bigger one seems to be counterproductive. The world champion has the dream of coming to Maranello, but Charles Leclerc’s progress will most likely deny Hamilton the chance to drive for Ferrari. Therefore, the name of Daniel Ricciardo at Ferrari becomes a much more credible solution, especially given the fact that the Australian driver is on very good terms with Charles Leclerc and would not disagree to maybe have a secondary role if asked to. This is a welcome profile for Ferrari.” – newsmondo.it wrote earlier today.
