Sebastian vettel
'Failure' Sebastian Vettel bids Ferrari farewell
The 33-year-old German, who joined Ferrari in 2015, offered a searingly-honest and realistic appraisal of his time in Italy, despite winning 14 races, when he...
The 33-year-old German won four consecutive titles from 2010 to 2013 with Red Bull before joining Ferrari, but the Italian team has not renewed his contract.
The four-time world champion has been told his services will not be required by Ferrari after this year and has admitted he is in talks with other teams.
Sunday’s race, the first of two in Austria on successive weekends, will be the latest start to a championship after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the scheduled Australian opener on 15 March before a wheel had turned.
Vettel said he was surprised when Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto called him to say his services were no longer required after 2020.
The season will kick off with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 5, followed a week later by a second race at the same track, as part of an eight-race European leg.
Alonso won his titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006 to end seven-times champion Michael Schumacher’s long reign.
Ferrari said 25-year-old Sainz, who replaces four times world champion Sebastian Vettel alongside young Monegasque Charles Leclerc at the sport’s most glamorous team, had signed for 2021 and 2022.
Vettel announced on Tuesday he was quitting the Italian Formula One team, triggering intense speculation as to who would be offered the dream drive alongside Charles Leclerc in 2021.
It's suggested that Carlos Sainz would replace Sebastian Vettel at Ferrar.
The team named no replacement for the German, who dominated F1 with Red Bull before switching to the Italian marque in 2015.
The German has some time on his hands with Formula One’s season stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic and organisers hoping to get going in Austria at the start of July.
Narrower than last season's SF90, with a deeper red colouring the body, Ferrari is pinning its hopes on the SF1000 car earning them drivers and constructors titles that have eluded them for 12 and 11 years respectively.
The two champions are out of contract at the end of the season, by which time 35-year-old Hamilton could have equalled Michel Schumacher’s record seven titles.
The pair, who collided while fighting for fourth place on Sunday, were forced to retire from the race, leaving Ferrari embarrassed and pointless and the drivers arguing about who was to blame.
The Austrian team boss seemed frustrated and angry that the team were distracted from their jobs by a need to dress in old overalls and flat caps.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified third with team mate Sebastian Vettel a distant seventh on a distinctly off day for the German.
Champions Mercedes have won all five races so far this season in one-two formation, with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas also taking a fastest lap each.
The defending five-time world champion clocked an exceptional best lap in one minute and 16.568 seconds to outpace Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by half a second.