‘Vettel waiting for Hamilton announcement’

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton smiling
Two weeks after confirmation of his move to Racing Point was expected, Formula 1 is still waiting to hear what Sebastian Vettel will be doing next season.
Told by Ferrari earlier this year that 2020 would be his sixth and final season with the Scuderia, Vettel has been weighing up his options.
While Red Bull, McLaren and Renault all shut the door on the German, Racing Point, which will be rebranded Aston Martin next season, has emerged as the four-time World Champion’s most likely destination.
An announcement was expected at the Belgian Grand Prix but instead of Vettel putting pen to paper on a deal that is reportedly worth $15 million per season, Vettel told the world that he had nothing new to say about 2021.
“I have lots of pens with me but not specifically to sign something,” he said during the Thursday drivers’ press conference at Spa.
“There are no updates – you can just copy and paste the question last time from the press conference.”
✍😆 #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 #Vettel @lennartwermke https://t.co/TLaobiy0js pic.twitter.com/9c9Pf4LZcE
— Sebastian Vettel #5 (@sebvettelnews) August 27, 2020
Almost two weeks later there is still no word on the German’s plans.
Motorsport.com reckons that’s because he is waiting for Mercedes to confirm Lewis Hamilton, or – as he probably hopes – not to confirm Hamilton.
While Valtteri Bottas has already committed his future to the Brackley squad, Hamilton has yet to sit down with motorsport boss Toto Wolff to iron out the finer details.
“Once you get all those small details out of the way then it comes to the big questions,” the Brit said last month when asked about the hold up.
Although the six-time World Champion has stated several times that he will be in Formula 1 for a few more years to come, until there is confirmation of that, Vettel is keeping his options open.
Motorsport.com reports that there are ‘two asterisks’ to Vettel signing with Aston Martin.
‘One is linked to the team’s plans on the technical front after the crackdown by the FIA in the matter of single-seaters-copy, the other is always an ear to Mercedes choices, that is the announcement of Hamilton’s renewal,’ reads the report.
‘If Lewis changes his mind Seb would be very ready to head towards Brackley.’
However, hours after the Motorsport.com report it now looks as if it is only a matter of time before Racing Point confirm Vettel.
Sergio Perez announced on Wednesday night that 2020 would be his final season with Racing Point.
“Everything in life always has a beginning and an end, and after seven years together, my time with the team will come to an end after this season,” he wrote on social media.
“It hurts a bit as I bet on the team during very rough times; we managed to overcome obstacles and I am very proud of saving the jobs of several of my teammates.
“I’ll keep the memories of the great moments lived together, the friendships and the satisfaction of always giving my all.”
Perez added that he hopes to stay in Formula 1 into 2021.
“I don’t have a plan B,” he said. “My intention is to continue racing here, but that would depend on finding a project that motivates me to continue giving my 100 percent in each lap.”
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