Jean Alesi on Sebastian Vettel’s future with Ferrari. The German driver's current deal with Ferrari is available only until the end of the season.

Former Scuderia Ferrari driver Jean Alesi has tipped Sebastian Vettel to sign a new contract with the Maranello team in the next few weeks. The German driver’s current deal with the Italian side is available only until the end of the 2017 Formula One season, but it is widely expected for him to continue with Formula One’s most successful team.

Earlier this week, Scuderia Ferrari officially confirmed that it had retained Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen for the 2017 F1 championship and it has been suggested that Sebastian Vettel himself requested a stay for Kimi Raikkonen in a role as a number two driver. The 2007 Formula One world champion remains on a one-year rolling deal, as he has done for the last number of years.

Jean Alesi, who races for the Maranello team from 1991 to 1995, does not think it will be long before Scuderia Ferrari announce Sebastian Vettel for following years: “He is very much a loved Ferrari driver. We are talking about a guy who really loves driving and is a real point of reference for the whole environment at Ferrari. Ferrari made giant strides this year and now has a winning car on almost every circuit. And then there is the team spirit that is the great work of Maurizio Arrivabene and Sergio Marchionne. The decision to keep Kimi consolidates this atmosphere, as neither Vettel nor Kimi is jealous of the other.” – the 53-year-old French former racing driver said, as reported on Thursday by Italian national sports newspaper based in Rome Corriere dello Sport.

“I think Vettel will renew as well. A house is built upon its foundation, but I also think it is true that if there is a driver other than Seb at Ferrari in 2018, he will also have no problems with Kimi.” – Jean Alesi concluded, as reported by the Italian media.

For the moment, it is unknown how long the contract will be available, with the Maranello squad supposedly proposing a new three-year deal. However, some sources have reported that Sebastian Vettel is only interested in a one-year deal to keep his options for wide open for the 2019 Formula One season.