It has been confirmed that Sebastian Vettel will continue to drive for Ferrari for the next three years, having extended his contract with the Italian team at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel signs three year contract extension with Ferrari
This was announced on Saturday before qualifying, with Ferrari hoping to prevent speculation regarding its drivers acting as a potential distraction as it aims to win its first championship in ten years.
Vettel’s original contract with Ferrari was set to run out at the end of this season, which resulted in the four-time champion being linked to a possible move to Mercedes for 2018 where he would partner his rival, Lewis Hamilton. Although Hamilton laughed off this rumour earlier in the week, Niki Lauda did confirm that talks were held between the Silver Arrows and Vettel.
“We discussed it briefly once with him, but the more competitive Ferrari goes the less the reason he would want to leave,” Lauda told Sky Sports F1. “So therefore we stopped right away a couple of months ago. I think every driver, if he’s clever, talks to more than one team. Then when you negotiate you’re in a better position. That’s what he did.”
As Vettel has signed a three year deal with Ferrari, the German driver is officially off the driver market for the forseeable future, and most importantly for 2019 – a season which is expected to have a lot of movement in the driver market.
As Vettel’s future with Ferrari has now been confirmed, it is probable that Mercedes will retain Valtteri Bottas’ services for another season, which will mean that its driver lineup will be confirmed for next year. As Red Bull Racing also has both of its drivers confirmed, there will be little change at F1’s top three teams.
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