Sebastian Vettel insists he is unconcerned about his contract situation for 2018, claiming it is low on his current list of priorities.
The Ferrari driver is in the final year of his current deal with the team and has been subject to speculation of a move to Mercedes. However, with doors seemingly closing there with Valtteri Bottas now likely to remain alongside Lewis Hamilton, another year at least with the Scuderia is expected.
Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne has made it clear the ball is in the German’s court and Italian media has reported a three-year deal worth $140m is on the table but Vettel is taking his time.
“We have other things to do,” the 30-year-old said in Thursday’s drivers’ press conference ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“In the summer there’s a bit more time, there’s a couple of weeks rest where there’s no race but for now, the focus is extremely high on working on the car.
“I think the primary objective at the moment is not to look at papers and worry about those but it is to make sure we get good results. Obviously, we have another opportunity to do that here [in Hungary].
“A piece of paper can be signed fairly quickly so that’s not a problem.”
Reading between the lines it appears a new deal with Ferrari is highly likely but there will be a few sticking points with the length of contract and his teammate up for discussion, with Vettel wanting Kimi Raikkonen to be retained for another year.
“I don’t see why not,” he said about staying with the iconic brand. “I’m certainly not ready this weekend but I’m not in a rush, I don’t think the team is in a rush as far as I understand. I think they would tell me otherwise. There’s no problem, nothing wrong.”
Indications are Marchionne would like the situation resolved by the Italian Grand Prix in September, the traditional venue where Ferrari’s driver line-up for the following year is often revealed.
But with Vettel’s former boss at Red Bull, Christian Horner recently suggesting he held the key in the driver market, could it be the four-time world champion is watching to see how Maranello develops the car over the summer break, having now gone two months without a win?
“You have a lot of races – some will be better, some will be worse, the last couple have not been fantastic but I’m very positive,” he said of Ferrari’s form.
“We come here and we know the car is strong, we know we have a chance to fight for victory. That’s good news so I think we should look at the positives rather than at one race where things didn’t go well for us and turned out well for Mercedes.
“You shouldn’t get distracted by any short-term results. Rest assured, we weren’t happy with Silverstone but it was a good weekend for us in terms of what we learned about the car to go forward.
“In fact, I think we have some bits here that should help us and the plan is to keep pushing. The determination and commitment are very high to make sure we stay at the front.”
