According to The Race, Scuderia Ferrari never offered German driver Sebastian Vettel a new contract proposal and decided on signing Carlos Sainz in the winter:
“Ferrari never went as far as offering Sebastian Vettel a new contract for 2021, having made its decision about his future during the off-season, The Race has learned. Furthermore, it has also emerged that the terms of Carlos Sainz Jr’s deal with Ferrari were agreed during the winter, well in advance of what was set to be the first 2020 Formula 1 race, in Melbourne.
Our sources indicate there was no offer made to Vettel because Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto had already made up his mind about Vettel after a 2019 season that featured several points of conflict in the Vettel/Charles Leclerc combination – most infamously in Brazil where the pair made contact, leading to the retirement of both cars.
Vettel is contracted until the end of 2020 but there was never any discussion about him staying beyond the duration of that contract. Leclerc’s contract was extended to the end of 2024 in December – at much the same time that Ferrari was discussing terms with Sainz.
It is understood that Daniel Ricciardo was also in discussions with the team, but those talks were over quite quickly as Ferrari’s preference was always for Sainz. The official Ferrari team statement about the end of the Vettel partnership made no mention of a contract having been offered but turned down by Vettel.
Our sources indicate that stories circulating that Vettel had been offered the same deal as Leclerc, or the same retainer as Leclerc – or indeed a one-year contract for less money – were all without foundation. But they played into the narrative that the Ferrari statement did not dismiss.”- The Race explained.
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