Sebastian Vettel will remain with Ferrari for the next three years, the team has confirmed.
The four-times world champion, who joined Ferrari in 2015, will remain with them until at least the end of the 2020 season.
Ferrari formally confirmed the widely-expected extension in an announcement immediately after the end of free practice three.
“Scuderia Ferrari has extended its technical and racing agreement with driver Sebastian Vettel for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 racing seasons of the Formula One World Championship,” said Ferrari in a statement.
Sebastian Vettel currently leads the world championship with 202 points. Vettel has secured four grands prix victories so far in 2017 and has taken seven race wins for Ferrari since joining Marenello in 2015.
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Hugh (@hugh11)
26th August 2017, 11:03
That’s that settled then. Expecting Bottas to be announced over the coming days too, in that case.
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
26th August 2017, 11:04
So for the coming three years we’re going to have
Mercedes
-Hamilton
-Bottas
Ferrari
-Vettel
-Kimi (certainly until 2019 I guess)
Red Bull
-Ricciardo (where else would he go?)
Verstappen (where else would he go?)
Basically locking out all spots for potential youngsters in until 2020.
anon
26th August 2017, 11:11
@xtwl, from the point of view of the drivers who are already at those teams, why should they want to go elsewhere?
What is interesting is that Vettel seems to have been the one who was forced to back down in those talks – there were claims that he only wanted a one year deal, giving him options in 2018 when Mercedes would be renegotiating Hamilton’s contract, with Ferrari being the ones who wanted to lock him into a long term deal.
Baron (@baron)
26th August 2017, 12:28
Oh, quel domage @xtwl , despite what many people seem to think F1 is a mans game and it takes exceptional talent on a number of fronts to rise to the top. No-one is going to risk multi hundred million dollar investment just because they are ‘young drivers’ even if they do have some talent. People like Max are an exception and F1’s history book is littered with talented youngsters who were promoted too early. The driving bit (the part that younger drivers are quite good at) is the easy bit. Some people begin to sound like football managers.
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
26th August 2017, 14:36
@baron I agree. I’d also rather have two proven values in either my own team rather than a young hotshot who has yet to prove everything, especially if either title is a goal.
Robbie (@robbie)
26th August 2017, 13:00
@xtwl Not sure why you are leaping to those conclusions. I hope the pairing of LH and VB does not continue for three years…one more year will be dull enough. Nothing against VB. I like him and I think he’s doing great for his first half-season in a competitive car, but does anyone seriously think he is going to seriously challenge LH? I’m not looking forward to more ‘after you…no kind sir after you…’ it’s either a borefest at Mercedes or the gloves will have to come off if Mercedes is to excite us. If the gloves will have to come off anyway, then Mercedes needs FA to light F1 on fire and put two WDC’s at Mercedes against two at Ferrari, and try to shut them out. If one wants to accuse KR of being a natural number two to SV, and VB a natural number two to LH, then that’s far far less exciting a prospect. At a maximum I hope LH and VB, if they must continue together, do so only for one more season, while KR, I predict, will only be at Ferrari for one more season, and then perhaps things can get more exciting again in 2019. F1 will not be the pinnacle it should be if it cannot find a top seat for the best driver on the grid FA, at least by 2019 but preferably 2018.
Robbie (@robbie)
26th August 2017, 13:08
If Mercedes truly has no interest in FA, which I won’t believe until I hear it officially, which may only happen after 2019 decisions are made in late 2018 if it’s not going to happen for 2018, then they should keep a seat open for when Max is going to be available. Ie. please Mercedes do not lock in LH and VB for the next 3 years. That will be a letdown.
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
26th August 2017, 14:37
@robbie I tend to call people who really believe Fernando would join Lewis at Mercedes slightly crazy.
Robbie (@robbie)
26th August 2017, 16:32
Yeah I guess FA has been lying all along about wanting a competitive ride. Crazy to imagine a top team having the two best drivers on it. Silly me. Let’s have a grid of number twos playing rear gunner for number ones. That sounds like racing.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
26th August 2017, 21:55
It is silly not to happen. But it won’t. Fernando has a reputation of ruining every team he is ever at.
Jake (@jagged-jake)
26th August 2017, 18:34
@robbie, what about Max V to Ferrari….soon and let Ferrari save us from their bore-fest :)
Ivan B (@njoydesign)
26th August 2017, 11:06
3 years?! That’s a lot of faith in the team. :O)
Jere (@jerejj)
26th August 2017, 11:08
@njoydesign +1
Todfod (@todfod)
26th August 2017, 12:36
He’s going down the Fernando route. Wasting years of his prime with a team that’s 2nd at best. Would be glad to see him close enough to win the title, only to be beaten by a driver in better machinery. Taste of his own medicine from the Red Bull days.
Nobody
26th August 2017, 13:01
Speaking of ‘taste of medicine’ where is Fernando headed?
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
26th August 2017, 18:54
who can blame him though?
Oh wait, you just did :)
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
26th August 2017, 18:56
like, you want to blame Alonso for having a ferrari-beating car twice?
Bernie
26th August 2017, 11:08
Good on them. Vettel and Ferrari make a good combination.
Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
26th August 2017, 11:12
So,Kimi will stay till 2020😂😂A good & sensible move by both sides,who ends any speculations about a future “swap” between Hamilton & Vettel.The only big move that can happen for 2019,is one of the RBR guys going to Merc
AdamM
26th August 2017, 11:45
Or if Kimi retires before 2020 there would be a seat at Ferrari, depends if they would want to partner Vettel with someone like Verstappen or Ricciardo
matiascasali (@matiascasali)
26th August 2017, 17:41
Or there’s a reason why he commited to a 3 year contract: i guess there’s a chance of a trigger clause wich allows him to end his contract if lewis came to Ferrari (and in that case, he could go to Mercedes) or a performance clause in wich he can go if the car isn’t good enough, wich can be pretty handy if Lewis decides to call it a day, freeing his seat…
Jake (@jagged-jake)
26th August 2017, 18:40
@matiascasali why would Lewis call it a day….when he is so passionate about racing an F1 car…..& Kimis of this world are still going strong?
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
26th August 2017, 18:55
@jagged-jake because there are also the Rosberg (I literally mean that in the plural – as in both of them)?
Yeezy918 (@)
26th August 2017, 11:17
Makes sense. Stable regulations and Ferrari have found their footing technically. A Merc switch would not have been worth the disruption.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
26th August 2017, 11:45
Why there’s even an article form Autosport about Alonso possibility move to Williams? Is a Vertigo really an obstacle for Massa medically?
Sumedh
26th August 2017, 12:06
I wonder if there are any exit clauses in this (from the driver’s side as well as team’s side)
I find this a little surprising. Given that all good drivers are free at the end of 2018 and Ferrari showing that they can develop a car in winter and do good development in-season, they could have got Hamilton, Verstappen or anyone else. Committing to building the team around Vettel seems a very conservative decision.
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
26th August 2017, 12:17
And what reason would they have to choose Hamilton or Verstappen over Vettel? Vettel is without a doubt on par with both, so building a team around him is not at all conservative but very likely smart, and to an extent Mercedes is doing the same with Hamilton,…
Markp
26th August 2017, 14:15
Yeah Vettel has only won 4 titles and is younger than Hamilton. Max shows potential and has won 1 race. Why would Ferrari build round Vettel.
Max to Ferrari in 2019 or 2020 or by then maybe LeClerc.
Jorge Lardone (@jorge-lardone)
26th August 2017, 13:09
A very good notice. A great champion (the best driver of his generation) in the best team of formula 1 history.
Josh (@canadianjosh)
26th August 2017, 14:23
I wonder what the contract is worth? Probably 150 million again?
Thomson (@fish123)
26th August 2017, 18:34
i heard a rumor saying $ 138.5 million for 3 years @canadianjosh
http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/report-ferrari-f1s-sebastian-vettel-weighting-138-million-extension
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
26th August 2017, 17:58
I don’t think this is surprising. I doubt if any of the current major three teams would really want to deal with two potential world champions in the same team if they don’t have to. It’s far easier for them to manage with a number 1 and 2 although the drivers may not be clearly categorised like that. I know RBR are and have been an exception to this.
Looking to 2019 onwards, I think this rules out Alonso getting a drive in any of these teams which almost certainly means he will never be WDC for a third time. I also think it is quite unlikely that Vettel would want either Verstappen or Ricciardo as a team mate in 2019. Mercedes might be interested if Hamilton looks restless and might leave or if Bottas has a poor second season i.e. 2018.
Alonso’s best hope really is if Honda suddenly start delivering or if McLaren switch to Renault engines. McLaren might even be quite competitive in these circumstances. It will depend on the rest of this season though to some extent.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
26th August 2017, 22:02
There are only two champions in their prime right now.
Ferrari i just trying best championship winner avaliable. No way Max or some other spectacular choice is s better bet than Vettel.
Lancer033 (@lancer033)
27th August 2017, 0:34
3 years unless one of a dozen exit clauses are exercised by either party or someone is willing to put money on the table to walk away from it. Call my cynical, but F1 contracts don’t seem to be worth enough to get excited over anymore.