Vettel expecting future to be confirmed ‘very soon’

Sebastian Vettel says he expects confirmation about his future with Aston Martin in the very near future.

The German joined the British team at the end of 2020 after Ferrari decided to replace him with Carlos Sainz.

He signed an initial one-year deal with the team, with an option included to extend it to the end of the 2022 campaign.

That option has not been activated yet, and team principal Otmar Szafnauer recently revealed the deadline for doing so is now “not far off”.

Given that and the fact the team reportedly offered Fernando Alonso the chance to replace his long-time rival, Vettel’s future has started to look a little less certain.

However, he is confident he will stay with his current team and is expecting confirmation soon.

“I’m talking to the team obviously and I think we’ll have an answer very soon, but at this point no news,” he told reporters in Monza ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

“As I said, we are talking to each other. I really enjoy working with the team.

“I think the atmosphere is great and I do believe the future of this team is very, very bright.”

Williams confirm their 2022 driver lineup!

Alex Albon will drive alongside Nicholas Latifi for Williams in 2022.

Check out all the latest Sebastian Vettel/Aston Martin merchandise via the official Formula 1 store

While Aston Martin look likely to retain their current driver line-up for the 2022 campaign, the same cannot be said for many teams.

George Russell will be replacing Alfa Romeo-bound Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes, and former Red Bull driver Alex Albon will be taking the Briton’s spot at Williams.

Vettel is pleased with both moves, excited to see Russell drive for a top team and feeling Albon deserves a spot on the grid.

“It’s been an exciting week,” he added.

“It’s nice to see George get the opportunity to move up, nice to see Alex come back. I think with the talent he has, he deserves a spot in Formula 1.”

Silly season is by no means over yet either, with the second Alfa Romeo driver for next year yet to be confirmed.

Formula E champion Nyck de Vries looked to be the favourite for the seat at one point, but reports are now suggesting that with heavy financial backing, Alpine junior Guanyu Zhou could be given the nod instead.