Scuderia Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel have started to discuss a possible renewal of the German four-time world champion’s contract with the Prancing Horse. The lack of track races at the start of the season – marked by the Coronavirus pandemic – complicated the negotiations, due to the lack of feedback on performance. Several journalistic sources speak of anything but simple negotiations, whose fundamental issues concern the salary which Sebastian receies and the duration of the contract. The initial will of the parties, that of continuing together, has thus clashed with the needs of individuals and to date has not led to an agreement.
In the case of a separation, two figures emerged for a possible replacement of Sebastian Vettel, which are those of Daniel Ricciardo, currently in Renault, and Carlos Sainz of McLaren. Former Formula 1 driver, now commentator for Sky UK, Karun Chandhok, launched into a prediction on Charles Leclerc’s future Scuderia Ferrari teammate:
“If I had to bet, I would probably opt for Sebastian Vettel still in Ferrari in 2021 because of what is happening and for Carlos Sainz in his place for 2022. I would not be surprised if the German accepted a big reduction in salary. Ferrari now has Charles Leclerc, who is a future star, and doesn’t need to pay Vettel as much as he paid him earlier.”
So having to think of a replacement, Karun Chandhok said he was in favor of Carlos Sainz: “Drivers of the caliber of Ricciardo and Sainz are ready to knock on the door of the top teams. I think there is a difference between the two: Daniel has already had his chance for a top team, while Carlos has not yet. I wish the Spaniard had this opportunity, I think he showed excellent qualities in McLaren” – concluded the Indian in his commentary for Sky Deutschland.
