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I just read another report about FA vetoing SV's arrival at Ferrari. I get the feeling, that come 2015 SV will seek a fresh challenge, regardless of whether he wins again with RBR again or not. Gut feel also says, that LH will move to RBR in 2015. I know this sounds crazy, but this is what I feel will happen. Thoughts?

And how do you think a Vettel/McLaren combination will work/not work?

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Sebastian Vettel
Michael Schumacher
Nico Hulkenberg

No.

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"Everything you can imagine is real." Pablo Picasso

Why not? I'm sure McLaren would love Vettel! Hell any team would be quick to take him

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"You are the universe expressing itself as a Human for a little while..."

As long as RBR are winning Seb will stay. Who will replace Webber is the bigger question.

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if he wants a challenge he'd be ending up at sauber ... actually a thing i'd like to see ... don't see him at mclaren ... i somehow have a feeling that the combination wouldn't be a match... same thing for mercgp ...

imho SV needs a team that gives him the impression of being relaxed and laid back at some times while being able to almost instantly flip the switch to becoming highly professional ... well - my personal opinion, i have no sources to proof anything... i don't see mclaren going this direction ... deep inside the are somehow old-fashioned i'd say...

mercgp would prob. love to get a hold on SV... he is german and i think lauda would do some lobbying - still not sure if merc is so much different to mclaren

so sauber is a small, private team, located in switzerland - still very much professional in terms of what they're doing... would be a nice match AND very much of a challenge... they should just get rory byrne after 2014 then =D

Don't think Vettel would fit in there. He never said he wants to go there.
I can see him at Ferrari 2015

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"Everything you can imagine is real." Pablo Picasso

Why so?

Alonso left Renault in 2006 when they were winning. Schumacher left Benetton in 1995 and they were winning. Surely, in another two years, a win or not, he will want to seek something fresh.

Let's not forget also that SV isn't paid all that well at RBR.

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Sebastian Vettel
Michael Schumacher
Nico Hulkenberg

Surely they would, Whitmarsh has openly said they tried to sign him at the end of 2008, and they will be trying again when he will be moving away from Red Bull.

I haven't had the chance to research it but I remember hearing that Alonso wasn't happy with Renault's refusal to commit to F1 beyond 2006/2007. Hence the reason he signed with McLaren in the winter of 2005 - a full year before he was set to join the team.

Same with Schumacher - he still had another year to go on his Benetton contract but he was apparently unhappy at the actions of the team during 1994, so chose to leave early.

SV has it nice at RBR. Unless there's some massive in-fighting (which I doubt) then I reckon he'll stay as long as he's winning.

(Like I said - I may be wrong about Alonso and Schumacher - I'll look into it later)

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Really?! That's a bit rich coming from him!

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Multi 21 or Catch 22?!

It ain't hating just 'cause it's not love

I think Vettel will end up at Ferrari in 2014 or 2015. I would love to see Hamilton and Raikkonen together at Red Bull I think they would both be a great fit.

Thought it was crazy at first, but if the following happens before the the end of the decade...

1. Alonso extends his Ferrari contract
2. Red Bull lose Newey/lose form/pull out altogether
3. Aside from RBR dropping off, the competitive order stays vaguely as it is now

Voila, Vettel reports for work at Woking

Only 2 seems unlikely, but it's still perfectly plausible. IMO McLaren would bite Vettel's hand off, and where else would he go if he went anywhere?

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Klaus Kinski: making me question my heroes since January 2013

This, any team would bend over backwards to sign a proven multiple WDC, this guy brings home the silverware, not excuses. I'd imagine at a pinch Mclaren may even let him keep the trophies if necessary. Prefer to see him at Ferrari though, fitting destination for a premium driver, perhaps 2015 after his 4th WDC (1 more in Alonso yet)

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o·ver·rat·ed - overestimation of skills or abilities, anything that is given too much credit and hype.

I don't think they would allow him to keep the trophies. If Prost, Senna, and Hamilton don't get it (I mention the last one as he specifically mentioned wanting to keep them) then I don't see them allowing Seb to take them home either.

But I certainly agree they'd want to take him, they'd snap his hand off trying to get him, any team would. Well... SHOULD is the better word. Then again success doesn't always mean harmonious working conditions. Look at Alonso, golden boy moved to McLaren, and it went wrong. Not saying it would happen with Seb, but I think McLaren should always be a wary stop for the highly successful drivers. Champions and record breakers don't go to McLaren and end up getting their own way a lot of the time.

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"You are the universe expressing itself as a Human for a little while..."

If the latest article by Benson on this issue is anything to go by, Vettel won't/can't move to Ferrari as long as Alonso is there. And FA is considering extending the contract.

From his words after the last season, I get the impressions that we won't see Vettel anywhere but in RBR in the foreseeable future. He seemed to believe that with the current squad they could make their own meaningful history - not just having a splash of success and then vanishing, even though it can never match with the established teams'. That can count as a challenge too, IMO. Maybe he's misjudging the situations or more likely I'm reading too much. We'll see. Marko suggested he was planning to renew the contract with Newey in the next weeks.

Yesterday, Vettel on rumors about a switch to Ferrari in 2014
"I wondered about whether this question [about my future] would come up and I thought it is like a woman, you cannot ask her about her age."


I agree about the bolded part. It doesn't mean that he can't make the necessary adjustment though.

I'm not so sure about that. I don't think Räikkönen is a big fan of Hamilton somehow.

I really meant a great fit with Red Bull not with each other but Kimi's does not seem like the kind of guy who is interested in being best pals with everybody anyway.

Vettel will leave Red Bull the second they stop being competitive. If they make world-beaters for the next 10 years, he won't leave. Not every driver has the desire to move to pastures new to build a team into champions. Hamilton only left McLaren because he hadn't won a second title after such a promising start to his career.

If Red Bull produce a stinker in 2014 and McLaren's engine (whoever they're using by then) for 2015 is the top powerhouse, and they've had a strong 2014, there's nothing to think Vettel won't go to McLaren. He'll not be going to Ferrari as long as Alonso's there. Neither he or Alonso would risk it.

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I also have one of these.

Stories in multiple languages yesterday, prior to the launch, about Seb possibly extending his RBR contract to 2016.

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I agree. While some want a fresh challenge and to prove themselves, I'd rather have some more WDCs to my name and leave that tiny % wondering if it was "just the car". On current form, any move looks like a step in the wrong direction. While it may prove fruitful, it is a pretty large gamble.

I think Vettel's future is tied to Horner and Newey, if they move, Vettel will probably reconsider his future at RBR. He obviously hates an uncompetitive car.

Name a driver who likes uncompetitive cars

Karthikeyan? He seemed attracted to them.

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"You are the universe expressing itself as a Human for a little while..."

No
Not unless McLaren win the next two WDC's and convince him its worth the switch. But then again if Button wins more WDC with McLaren, he might re-sign for a year or two... if...

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Warning: The above post may contain sarcasm.

For Vettel to move to McLaren, he has to have a reason to leave Red Bull. That for me will only arise if Red Bull gradually start loosing competitiveness. Now, I don't see RB dropping off the boat performance wise with the team and infrastructure they have in place. The only reason I see Vettel leaving is if Red Bull pull out altogether. Why change a winning formula for a potential new challenge. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. He's clearly happy with Red Bull. Red Bull are happy with him. Why bother breaking up a good relationship.

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Forza Fernando !

Aren't we forgetting, he's been there, done that. Did Schumi return to Jordan?

The lure of Ferrari and potentially taking Merc to the front if Hamilton doesn't manage it, are too strong.

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"We can not drive slower, just to make the races more exciting." Alain Prost

Never say never

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#10

The strongest "lure" to a driver in F1 is winning. Not dragging a team up the grid.

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Nah Vettel will go to Ferrari once Alonso leaves.

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1994 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Well, you never know. Let's think of Hamilton, I bet nobody saw him leave Macca late 2008, and not even at the start of last year. Everybody's still in shock, and yet , it happened. Who's to say RedBull will not have a shitty season and Vettel might get that Schumacher-esque feel to prove he's no. 1 also in another team-preferably a lower one? Several WDC's had it, trying to prove a point, including Hill, Prost, Villeneuve...and of course, the majority failed.

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Olivier Panis fan.
...and also Jenson Button fan.

I suspect that for some (naming no names) it's money, however winning and financial return tend to go hand in hand.

Don't see Vettel at McLaren with equal status, it's been a while since there has been a German driver at the team.

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We want heroes, but there are few, mainly it's cars - Pedro De La Rosa

What do you think Red Bull was when he joined them? Champions? He did the grow with the team thing at STRF/Red Bull - now they all are enjoying the spoils together.

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Well, Benetton weren't champions either when Schumacher joined them back in 1992.
So far, RBR has yet to show they're a great all-round team by coping also with failure, just like Ferrari, Williams and Macca did. Yes, they're good now, success all around, but a truly great teams stick around also in dark times, they are still to show that aspect. Which is why I believe Vettel will sometime in the future go to another team.

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Olivier Panis fan.
...and also Jenson Button fan.

Possible but IMO unlikely. The key personnel is likely to still be the same at Red Bull and thus I don't see why Vettel would want to leave.

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Räikkönen - Vettel - Rosberg - Bottas

doesnt gel for me. McLaren are to rigid for a man like him, Ferrari is the fit, but thats just based on current thinking. If Newey went to Sauber in 2015, he strikes me as a guy who would want a serious challenge in the twilight of his career, could you see Vettel with that hat on? I dont think so, hes going the the prancing horse, they cant afford NOT to have him.

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Lets look sharp people, I want a quick dispersal this time.............check those corners......check those corners!!!!!

Shock was not for him leaving, but going to a mediocre car...

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My Top 5 drivers of all times:
1) Prost/ Schumacher
3) Fangio
4) Lauda
5) Brabham

if you don't like it, too bad! There's a reason why it says "My Top 5"

Hamilton would fit in well at RBR though. That would be nice!

I get the feeling LH has moved to a sinking ship with Mercedes. And people can often misconstrue a car's lacklustre performance as the driver error or non-performance. If that happens he may unfortunately just dissappear into the lower orders, if Mercedes also decide to drop him.

Besides there will always be up-and-coming young guns who want that coveted McLaren/Ferrari drives (even as No. 2s). So returning back can pose a huge challenge.

Regarding SV, RBR may want to keep him so long as he keeps winning for them.

Not a chance. Hamilton is a great driver whose talent is unquestioned. He'll get a top quality drive whenever he wants. The only thing that could really harm this is him being soundly beaten (on merit, not by freak incidents) by Rosberg. But a lacklustre Mercedes would not be a problem if he beats Rosberg and gives us some quality drives.

Which explains why he went to Merc....

A team struggling back in 10th, a good race for them is when both cars score points...

As much as I totally agree on his level of talent, to simply say he will get a top drive regardless is arrogant.

Ferrari have made it clear they are not interested in him, RBR have made it clear that him and Vettel might not be a good idea - his only choice is to return to Mclaren.

Merc was pretty much his only other option if he wants to hit at the occasional podium this year. And what people fail to realize who defend this decision, If merc ends up fighting the midpack that means we could see 2011 all over again. Where he makes far too many mistakes, remember there is also one other driver in front of him (most likely) Massa......