Vettel: 2021 renders won’t influence my F1 future

Sebastian Vettel has dismissed being swayed by how the proposed 2021 rules could shape the next generation of Formula 1 cars and is eager to see how the new rules come together before making a call on his future.

The Ferrari driver has poured doubt over his F1 future after making it clear if the 2021 rules shake-up don’t entice him to continue racing he will walk away from the sport.

The four-time F1 world champion has been quizzed over the initial render images of a 2021 car in a wind tunnel, released by F1 and backed by the sport’s chief technical officer Pat Symonds, but has played down the impact of the shots on his own future.

“I think we’ve probably also seen renderings from Renault in the past and other teams so I don’t know whether the pictures we’ve seen are actually what it will be because as far as I understand there are no regulations yet for 2021,” Vettel said.

“So it’s a bit pointless to post pictures but maybe that’s what some people would like the cars to look like. I think that there are no rules yet for 2021, no decisions, no hard decisions so it’s a bit pointless to look at pictures.”

Vettel has sounded out his desire to see F1 return to closer racing, with the current generation of cars struggling to follow each other closely due to the disturbance in ‘dirty air’ behind other cars, and repeated his sentiment about the rules shake-up being the perfect time for F1 to improve on racing – something the drivers made clear through the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.

“I think there’s a great chance to make things better,” he said. “I think we, as drivers, addressed our main points. Obviously it was very nice and very respectful that we had a sort of say or at least people asked our opinions for the first time ever in this kind of decision, the people who make the decisions asked our opinions. We were definitely pushing to keep things simple.

“We want closer racing. From our side, I think it’s very clear and then however the cars look, I guess it’s a bit secondary. I think if the racing is great and so on, then the cars will look great as well.”

“Obviously my contract finishes next year. Everything after that is based on the new rules so for sure you have a look.

“It’s not that now everything is awful so I think we need to remember that. It’s a fine balance but every change is a chance – a chance to do better or worse and hopefully we do better.”

Vettel’s current Ferrari contract runs until the end of 2020 having joined the Scuderia in 2015.