Vettel ends his contract with Aston Martin at the end of the season and at the beginning of the year there was speculation that he might retire.
That came after the team’s poor start to the new era of ground effect and the German saying on the BBC’s Question Time program that he was “questioning” whether to continue , given the conflict between racing and his climate activism. .
However, Vettel seems willing to talk to Aston Martin and before this weekend’s French GP he has expressed his desire and “clear intention” to continue.
Asked about his future in the midst of F1’s so-called ” silly season ,” Sebastian Vettel said: “Well, I’m going to race this weekend, and the next.”
“Then yes, obviously I’ve said that at some point, we’ll start talking. I’m talking to the team, I think there’s a clear intention to move on.”
“We’ll see where we are soon.”
Last month, Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack expressed his desire to renew Vettel for the long term, speaking thus: “It was always clear to us that if he wants to continue, we would like him to stay for a long time, yes.”
“We’re talking. We have a very, very good relationship, and it’s not like we have to set deadlines.”
“Obviously, at a certain point, if we drag it out too long, we will also have problems, and he is aware of that.”
“But these are very trustworthy discussions that we’re having. From that point of view, everything is fine.”
Vettel signed for Aston Martin for the 2021 season, when Lawrence Stroll renewed the Racing Point team and activated the break clause in Sergio Pérez’s contract that ended the Mexican at Red Bull .
But the 2021 AMR21 car was handicapped by changes to the ground regulations, which meant that Vettel and team-mate Lance Stroll could only put the team seventh in the constructors’ standings. However, Racing Point in 2020, with its controversial “Pink Mercedes”, had achieved fourth place behind McLaren.
As pressure mounts on Daniel Ricciardo to move closer to teammate Lando Norris, Vettel has been linked with the second seat at McLaren.
This is in addition to the signing of the current IndyCar champion, Alex Palou, as a McLaren driver, and the tests that Colton Herta did in Portimao with the 2021 car.
But Vettel’s response to the McLaren possibility was: “Obviously I know some people there, but I think it’s just rumours.”
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