Vettel: Discussions with McLaren F1 are not a priority
Courted by McLaren, Sebastian Vettel prefers to fully focus on Red Bull and the challenges he will face within the team with which he won his four crowns.
In the midst of difficulties after four consecutive world titles, Sebastian Vettel is the subject of rumors. McLaren has made him one of its priorities for the future, as Honda wishes to secure the services of a top-tier driver upon its return. Main target Fernando Alonso has recently dismissed the possibility of leaving Ferrari for the moment and has even mentioned a possible extension. The four-time world champion now seems to be at the forefront on the Woking side.
Asked about these paddock rumors, the Red Bull driver initially joked: « There was already a lot of talk at Spa on Thursday, and there was a rumor that I had signed for 150 million dollars over three years. I asked where the pen was but no one showed up! » reports Autosport.
Then he did not hide that contacts could take place without paying more attention to them than necessary: « I think it’s normal for you to have a lot of discussions. But that doesn’t change what you do daily. Obviously, we’re not yet where we want to be, especially on my side, so there’s a lot of work to do, that’s my main focus. »
He doesn’t completely close the door on leaving: « I think that right now, I have a lot of challenges, to be honest. My situation hasn’t changed. I’m happy where I am. But you never know what might happen in the future. At the moment, I don’t feel the need to do something else. »
Sebastian Vettel is currently, and until the end of the season, collaborating with Guillaume Rocquelin, his race engineer since 2009. He will leave this position to become the chief track engineer starting in 2015. Adrian Newey, on the other hand, will also step back at the end of the next season. He holds the position of technical director and has been one of the key figures in Red Bull’s successes.
« It is normal for people to change positions, » said the German. « Adrian, of course, has been an important asset in recent years and will be in the future, but there are new people, very bright, very intelligent who have joined us. ‘Rocky’ is changing positions, he is not leaving, so we will benefit from him in the future. It is not necessarily bad to change the team around to have new perspectives and also some new challenges, and other people to work with. »
