despite appearances, a crack had appeared in the grounds of Sebastian Vettel in the face of a team-mate young and enterprising, unwilling to give him a " leadership ". The quadruple world champion German Sebastian Vettel will leave Ferrari at the end of the season after failing to bring home a world title for the Scuderia, the name of his successor at the sides of the Monegasque Charles Leclerc remaining for the time being unknown.

" This is a decision that has been taken by mutual agreement by us and Sebastian, and both parties considered that it was in their best interest. This has not been an easy decision to make because of the value of Sebastian as a driver and as a person ", said Tuesday Mattia Binotto, the boss of the Scuderia, in a press release.

"The team and I have understood that there is more of a shared desire to stay together beyond the end of this season," said Vettel.

If this announcement is the effect of a thunderclap in a season that has not even started yet because of the outbreak of coronavirus, the rumors about a possible departure of the German pilot was very good for several weeks. They were a disagreement over the contract period, Ferrari has proposed that a one-year extension with a salary greatly reduced.

Vettel said on Tuesday that " financial considerations have played no role in this decision."

Arrived at Ferrari in 2015 for a successor to Fernando Alonso, and Vettel is not better than the Spanish, and being unable, also, to offer a title of world champion driver for the legendary Italian team. The latest to his list for the drivers is the one of the Finnish Kimi Räikkönen in 2007 with one last title manufacturer the following year.

Lean balance sheet

Mattia Binotto has, no doubt unintentionally, highlighted Tuesday by recalling that " when [their] five years together, [Vettel] has finished in the top three of the championship three times, making a significant contribution to the constant presence of the team in the first three places in the constructors championship ".

The German has won his four titles with Red Bull (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) and has to his credit a total of 53 wins, 14 for Ferrari, a balance sheet that is relatively thin in the light of the ambitions and means of the Scuderia.

The rivalry between the two Ferrari drivers, here at the GP of Italy at Monza, 2019, has left deep scars with a team of increasingly oriented towards the young Monegasque. © MARIO CHIARAPPA@CALLO ALBANESE / Ferrari

Presented at the beginning of his career as a young prodigy able to win it all and become the equal of his compatriot Michael Schumacher and his five titles with Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel found himself in the last year under the umbrella of another young prodigy, ten years her junior, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc.

For his first year at Ferrari, he stole the show and has placed his law within the Scuderia. He has won two victories for Vettel, allowing the same to get ahead in the standings of the world Championship with a 4th place finish for a 5th to Vettel, his worst ranking since his arrival at Ferrari.

A gifted hunting the other

Leclerc, 22 years old, was extended in December his contract until 2024, showing that it is him that the stables of Maranello has chosen for the long term. The door is now wide open to all the speculation on who will replace Vettel in the Red, one of the ruffles the most sought after in the F1.

the name of The sixfold world champion Lewis Hamilton, out of contract at Mercedes at the end of the season, has been advanced, but the British had hinted in recent weeks that he would stay on at Mercedes with which he won five of his six world titles (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019).

Are also most often mentioned the names of the Australian of Italian origin, Daniel Ricciardo, currently at Renault, the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (McLaren) or the Italian Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa-Romeo).

The announcement of her departure comes as the Championship 2020 has not even started yet due to the pandemic of sars coronavirus, the date of the first race still uncertain.

The future of several teams of F1 is also threatened by the economic crisis and the total stop to several weeks of sales of automobile that weighs heavily on the budgets of the large manufacturers. The stables, which do not depend on the global market are affected by the decrease of their income due to the postponement or cancellation of all Grands Prix since the beginning of the year.