We heard about Ferrari asking Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton for a quick response on their contracts for the upcoming Formula 1 season. We’ve learned now that Lewis Hamilton has decided to carry on with Mercedes which he described as his ‘dream team’ in a now-deleted tweet. Vettel’s contract renewal though will take longer than that to explain.
According to several media reports, Vettel turned down Ferrari contract renewal branding it a ‘joke’. The said contract was only for 2021 and came with a massive pay cut. A Gazzetta dello Sport report states that the German has turned it down.
Hamilton and Vettel earn £40 million (approximately Rs 384 crore) and £35 million (approximately Rs 336 crore) a year, respectively at Mercedes and Ferrari. Per La Gazetta dello Sport, the Scuderia offered Vettel a one-year, €12 million extension to his current expiring contract, which is believed to pay him upwards of €40m annually.
Speaking a few days ago in a video conference, Vettel told stated that he usually has “three-year” contracts while noting that whatever the duration of his next deal, it would need to suit both the driver and the team.
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“Whatever the deal will be like,” he said, “it will be whatever I and the team will be comfortable with. So in terms of duration I don’t know. Normally the contracts I’ve had in the past were all three-year deals. I know I’m one of the more experienced drivers in Formula 1 but I’m not the oldest and I don’t think there’s an age limit in this regard.”
The Gazzetta report further adds that Ferrari are considering Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz and Antonio Giovinazzi to replace the four-time World Champion if he chooses to agree to terms with the Scuderia.
Moreover, another report published by F1-Insider states that Fernando Alonso may be preparing a comeback in Formula 1 through Ferrari if Vettel is to leave his seat empty. Even ex-World Champion Fernando Alonso (38) is positioning himself to replace the four-time World Champion from Germany, the report states.
