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[vaptin]

Hey Ferrari leave some staff for the other teams, yeah?!

Well, they stole Costa, Schumacher and Brawn from Ferrari.

[spankyham]

The Vettel to Ferrari rumor is back. If Felipe was to be replaced, I'd love to see Seb in a Ferrari while Nando is also still in form.

Link.

Vettel linked with Ferrari move
'Italian insiders' claim World Champ has signed pre-contract deal

F1's 'silly season' has started in earnest with a fresh wave of speculation in the Monaco paddock claiming that Sebastian Vettel has signed a pre-contract agreement with Ferrari.

Hot on the heels of the fevered talk on Thursday night that McLaren were poised to offer Lewis Hamilton a deal which, with bonuses included, would make him the highest-paid driver in the sport, speculation is rife that reigning World Champion Vettel has committed to leaving Red Bull for Ferrari if the Italian team can maintain competiveness.

'Insiders are adamant that the German has signed an option with Ferrari for 2014, subject to competitive form from the Prancing Horse stable for the rest of 2012,' reports The Independent on Sunday.

The claims are also repeated in The Sunday Times, with the newspaper proceeding to suggest that any such agreement would likely result in Vettel's current team-mate, Mark Webber, also leaving Red Bull for Ferrari, albeit a year in advance and for just a single season.

'With Fernando Alonso's Ferrari contract running until 2016, there would appear to be a Ferrari vacancy for only one year, should it choose to replace Felipe Massa. It is not known whether the Vettel option is binding on either side, but if there is a one-year Ferrari vacancy for 2013, it strengthens the case for Webber being the man to fill it,' declares the broadsheet. 'Thirty-six years old in August, the Australian realises the end of his F1 career is approaching - and a final year at the most iconic team alongside his friend Alonso would conclude an illustrious career'.

The speculation - and indeed any truth the reports may contain - could also have a dramatic bearing on the future of Hamilton, whose current contract with McLaren expires at the end of this season.

Although it is still expected that Hamilton will stay with the team that he has driven for throughout his motor-racing career, The Independent notes that, were Webber to join Alonso at Ferrari, it would 'open the way for Hamilton to jump into the Adrian Newey-designed car that he is said to crave.'

[andrew]

Italian Insiders" - always a trusted source these unnamed chaps!

I think there now needs to be a 2012/2013 Silly Season thread as I sincerely doubt that any driver changes will happen during the season.

[darwin dali]

Amazing how there's always people to come up with pipe dreams like these.
I like SV, he's a smart cookie and still does his own contracts w/o a manager. If they're true then these rumors again show what a sly fox SV is: he wants Ferrari to first prove they're worthy of his services by them showing good performance for the whole 2012 season.

[spankyham]

If Seb wanted to make an unambiguous statement that he was definitely staying at Red Bull then this interview was a resounding failure.

Link.

He compares leaving Red Bull to leaving home - isn't it pretty much inevitable that nearly everyone leaves home?

World champion Sebastian Vettel says he finds it hard to imagine life outside of Red Bull Racing, insisting he does not want to leave.

The two-time champion has a contract with the Milton Keynes-based squad until the end of the 2014 season, but the German has again been linked with a move to the Ferrari team.

Vettel, however, says he feels perfectly happy at Red Bull, with which he has won his two titles.

"I've been wearing a Red Bull helmet for almost my entire career. It is difficult to imagine another kind of life if you are so used to it," Vettel told AUTOSPORT when asked about his plans after 2014.

"It would be like when you turn 18, 19 and move out of your family's home. I am very happy where I am right now and I don't want to move on to anywhere else."

Vettel, who dominated the 2011 season with 11 wins and 17 podiums, is currently in second place in the standings, having won just one race this year.

The German says consistency - and not only wins - will be very important this year given how tight the fight at the top is.

"People only remember our wins, but they forget a bit how tight it often was," he said. "Yes, we won some races in which we did not have the strongest package.

"This year there are much more candidates to win races than before. Therefore it gets more essential to collect as many points as possible in every race."

With six different winners in the first six races of the season, Vettel believes it is vital to get everything right during the weekends in order to be fighting for victory.

"From the first day of winter testing on I had confidence in our car. We have not got out the most of the potential though we make steadily progress. And troubles with tyres concern almost everyone, not us alone. It simply depends on who will be doing the better job."

And the world champion reckons the unpredictability of this year's races is translating into a good show for the fans, despite some criticism about the racing being artificial.

"If you look back ten years, there was heavy criticism of a boring F1 because of Michael (Schumacher) winning all the time. Now we hear F1 is unpredictable and a lottery.

"You cannot satisfy all people every time, but I think we have a good show, a lot of overtaking, good action now. There is more tension - for people who watch and for us inside the cars. I think I like the way it goes, however, we have to be careful not to create something artificially."
AutoSport

[bud]

There's always driver to Ferrari rumours i think you should take any with a pinch of salt!
I can't see him going to Ferrari with Fernando there, I would think Fernando would have a clause in his contract to have no world champion as team mate. I don't mind Vettel if Lewis leaves I'd take him at McLaren Saying that it be good to see him vs Alonso!

[headless]

I read Seb has a clause in his contract for 2013.

Schumacher is going to McLaren. Hamilton to Williams. Maldo to Ferrari. Massa to Sauber. Perez to make HRT World Champions.

[elfinitty]

I read Seb has a clause in his contract for 2013.

Schumacher is going to McLaren. Hamilton to Williams. Maldo to Ferrari. Massa to Sauber. Perez to make HRT World Champions.

make HRT World Champions
make HRT World Champions
make HRT World Champions

[racechick]

There's always driver to Ferrari rumours i think you should take any with a pinch of salt!
I can't see him going to Ferrari with Fernando there, I would think Fernando would have a clause in his contract to have no world champion as team mate. I don't mind Vettel if Lewis leaves I'd take him at McLaren Saying that it be good to see him vs Alonso!

Ferrari have now admitted they have a pre-contract with Vettel for 2014. Also that Alonso vetoed hamilton. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/18524133

Hughes already knew of this, he wrote about it in autosport (impeccable Ferrari sources who have never been wrong before) He went on to speculate why. He reckons Vettel signed on the recommendation of Bernie in case Renault and Mercedes pull out over the engine rules. This would leave Ferrari with a huge advantage over the other teams. the would also have two of the top three drivers. Bernie may be an old dodderer but when it comes to busines......

[bud]

Alonso must feel he can cover Vettel no worries and wary of Hamilton, he does see Lewis as his biggest rival regardless of who's won how many championships.

[racechick]

Alonso must feel he can cover Vettel no worries and wary of Hamilton, he does see Lewis as his biggest rival regardless of who's won how many championships.

Agreed!

[spankyham]

Alonso must feel he can cover Vettel no worries and wary of Hamilton, he does see Lewis as his biggest rival regardless of who's won how many championships.

Agreed!

Even though I posted a few of the original items on Vettel going to Ferrari, I really agree with all the posts that say you have to take all this talk with a huge grain of salt. Basically I don't give much credence to any of these rumors until the key people start consistently and publicly denying them

...... But as I did post earlier, how delicious would it be to see Alonso and Vettel battle it out for the #1 spot.

[Hammer278]

Alonso must feel he can cover Vettel no worries and wary of Hamilton, he does see Lewis as his biggest rival regardless of who's won how many championships.

Agreed!

Even though I posted a few of the original items on Vettel going to Ferrari, I really agree with all the posts that say you have to take all this talk with a huge grain of salt. Basically I don't give much credence to any of these rumors until the key people start consistently and publicly denying them

...... But as I did post earlier, how delicious would it be to see Alonso and Vettel battle it out for the #1 spot.

Do you think Alonso will allow it?

Before that, do you think Vettel will leave the comfort of his cot in Redbull to switch to a team which keeps bleating about how Alonso is "the best driver on the grid and our No.1"?

[spankyham]

Alonso must feel he can cover Vettel no worries and wary of Hamilton, he does see Lewis as his biggest rival regardless of who's won how many championships.

Agreed!

Even though I posted a few of the original items on Vettel going to Ferrari, I really agree with all the posts that say you have to take all this talk with a huge grain of salt. Basically I don't give much credence to any of these rumors until the key people start consistently and publicly denying them

...... But as I did post earlier, how delicious would it be to see Alonso and Vettel battle it out for the #1 spot.

Do you think Alonso will allow it?

Before that, do you think Vettel will leave the comfort of his cot in Redbull to switch to a team which keeps bleating about how Alonso is "the best driver on the grid and our No.1"?

I think we are talking about vapor-ware at the moment
..... but come on mate, do you really have to wind me up with "bleating" references

Honestly, I think Ferrari wants to win more than anything else, and if it upset any driver in the process, so be it, Alonso included.

[Hammer278]

I didn't intend to wind you up...its just that when someone keeps repeating something which isn't a fact, it sounds like 'bleating' to me.

Everyone bleats in F1, Whitmarsh, Lewis, Jenson included.

Your last line is interesting...but would Ferrari do something which would upset Alonso? I don't know...maybe they're looking for a guy to take over Alonso who probably has another 3-4 good years left in him before the decline starts.