Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto says Sebastian Vettel’s future at the team is “in his hands” as talks over a new contract begin.
The four-time world champion is now in the final year of his current deal at the Scuderia, and in recent days it has been suggested McLaren and Renault could be options should the German decide to leave.
Vettel himself has offered mixed messages on his future at the team he joined back in 2015, but Binotto confirmed the process of making a decision had started.
“We have started discussing a new deal,” he told the official Formula 1 website in Australia. “It’s important we address it quite soon. It’s not something we will leave until the end of the season.
“It’s important for him and for ourselves to get clarity as soon as we can. Discussions are ongoing, and hopefully, that will be done soon.”
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Last year, questions began to be raised over Vettel’s future at Ferrari after a poor year again characterised by errors which contributed to him finishing behind teammate Charles Leclerc in the Monegasque’s first season in red.
Binotto though is confident of a response when the racing begins.
“He’s in a very good shape. I think he’s focused. He knows he needs to do well,” he stated.
“It’s a key moment of his career because whatever he may do at the start of the season will be important for his renewal. It’s in his hands, so I think he’s very motivated.
“Last year was important for him. Charles’ performance took him by surprise,” Binotto claimed.
“It’s not the case anymore, he knows where the benchmark is and he knows what he needs to do, so I think he has prepared himself very well through the winter.
“He spent last year trying to understand what went wrong and making sure he does better this year.”
As for Leclerc, though he said he is more than happy to see Vettel stay on for 2021 and beyond, he will “respect” whoever Ferrari puts beside him.
“Obviously last year there have been some tricky moments but our relationship stayed the same, which I think is a good thing,” he added.
“We are both mature enough to do the separation between what happens on-track and [away from] the track.
“I feel very lucky to be in a position where I’ve got a long-term contract and I’m happy to be in this position.
“I also know his position in a way as [in] my last two years I only had a one-year contract, but I don’t think it will destabilise him so much. He’s a very strong driver and I expect him to be very strong anyway.”