Ferrari’s Vettel coy over future as Mercedes lock front grid in China
Sebastian Vettel has refused to commit his future to Formula One after Bernie Ecclestone suggested the four-time world champion could be ready to throw in the towel. Vettel is under pressure to deliver Ferrari’s first world championship in more than a decade.
But the German heads into today’s Chinese Grand Prix, which starts at 10.10am UAE time, on a 231-day losing streak, while it is also uncertain whether he will continue to enjoy the backing of Ferrari as their No 1 driver.
Vettel’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, 21, has shown that he could be a contender for the title this season following a strong start to his career with the Italian marque. He took pole in Bahrain last month.
Ecclestone, the former chief executive of the Formula One group, is close to Vettel and believes he would walk away from the sport if his struggles at Ferrari continued.
Vettel’s £36 million (Dh172.8m)-a-year contract with Ferrari expires at the end of next season.
“I don’t know at the moment,” Vettel, who debuted in F1 in 2007, said yesterday.
“I am not going to be in Formula One as long as Bernie was that’s for sure, but I hope I am going to be as fit and sharp as he is today when I am 88.” Vettel, still sporting his retro moustache, has also faced criticism for the series of mistakes which have derailed his last two title challenges.
In Bahrain two weeks ago he spun – for the fourth time in 10 races – while battling Lewis Hamilton. But Vettel insisted: “I feel on top of my game. I am very self-critical and very ambitious. I put a lot of expectation on myself.
“I love driving, I love the sensation of speed, and I love fighting these guys. There are a lot of things I like at the moment and things I would miss, so that is why it is not an option to quit tomorrow.
“But the contract is just a piece of paper. We will see what happens.”
Vettel will start behind both Mercedes cars in today’s 1,000th Formula One race here in Shanghai after championship leader Valtteri Bottas pipped his world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton to pole by just 0.023 seconds. Bottas heads Hamilton in the standings by one point.
“It has been a good weekend so far,” Bottas said. “I struggled to get the perfect lap in, but it was good enough.”
Hamilton said: “I didn’t give up and kept pushing right to the end. Valtteri has been stellar all weekend. I have struggled. There is time left on the table, but I will try and get it back tomorrow.”
Leclerc was fourth behind Vettel, with the Red Bull Racing cars of Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly on the third row.