Sports Mole rounds up all of the latest news regarding Formula 1 on Thursday, November 19.
Thursday morning's Formula 1 news roundup:
'Three to seven years' left in F1 career - Vettel
© Reuters
Sebastian Vettel has joined Lewis Hamilton in admitting his career is now on a downhill run to retirement.
With his seventh title in the bag last Sunday, Mercedes' 35-year-old Hamilton said he will not be racing into his 40s like Kimi Raikkonen.
Vettel, a quadruple world champion who is switching from Ferrari to Aston Martin next year, concurs.
"I'm 33 now, I'll be on the track for another three years, and I really don't want to be racing at 40," he told Die Zeit.
"So if you really assess it then I have from three to seven years left in Formula 1."
The German admits his motivation took a hit in 2020 as he struggles to keep up with teammate Charles Leclerc.
"This year's season was very difficult and I admit that I even had doubts about my own abilities," said Vettel.
"I haven't gotten anywhere this season and relations with the team are not the easiest either. The love affair is over but I am still motivated."
He clarified, however, that he is most motivated about his move to a new project for 2021 and beyond.
"I am still expecting a lot from the remaining races but I think the new project with Aston Martin opens up a lot of possibilities," said Vettel.
"We will not be able to achieve success quickly, but I'm sure it will be a completely different mood and a new goal - to help the team progress."
Indeed, Vettel's new boss for 2021, Racing Point's Otmar Szafnauer, said the team is looking forward to having a champion on the books for the Aston Martin rebranding.
"His methods, his processes, his techniques - we're curious about all of that," he told Sport Bild.
"I guess we're already at 90 percent but that remaining 10 percent will take us to a completely new level."
However, Szafnauer says the Silverstone based team will need to wait until it can begin working with Vettel.
"Before January he is still under contract to Ferrari and we haven't asked whether they might let him go a little earlier for us," he said.
Daimler 'not stopping' Mercedes F1 project
© Reuters
Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius has once again moved to allay fears that Mercedes might be pulled out of Formula 1.
2021 was the German team's seventh consecutive sweep of the drivers' and constructors' world championships, but there have been rumblings that Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff may be looking elsewhere as Mercedes moves to cut costs.
However, Daimler CEO Kallenius said at an event for Auto Motor und Sport in Stuttgart: "We're not leaving Formula 1.
"Just because Bayern Munich has won a number of championship titles doesn't mean they stop. We're not stopping either."
The rules are changing markedly for 2022, but Kallenius sounds happy with the direction of the sport.
"In Formula 1 we can test hybrid technology and new fuels," he said.
However, former F1 driver Mika Salo doesn't buy the story that Hamilton's contract negotiations are delayed simply because there hasn't been time for talks with boss Wolff.
"I doubt it, anyway," the Finn told C More.
"There is something else behind it when Hamilton has been saying all year 'I don't know if I will continue next year'. He's been threatening it for a long time, so let's see what happens," Salo added.
More news from Formula 1:
Mercedes apologises after Bottas' covid joke
Mercedes has apologised to Chinese fans after Valtteri Bottas made a joke about coronavirus following last Sunday's grand prix in Istanbul. Read more.
Marko to make Albon decision after Abu Dhabi
Dr Helmut Marko says Alex Albon is still in the running to keep his seat at Red Bull in 2021. Read more.
