Formula One: Ferrari rule out Vettel move

Italian outfit’s chief denies BBC report on double world champion leaving Red Bull.

PARIS:

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo rejected reports that double Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel was set to join the Italian outfit.

He was speaking amid reports that Vettel was set to join Ferrari in 2014 with any move dependent on the team’s results next season. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso had sanctioned the move after previously ruling out pairing up with Lewis Hamilton, who will move from McLaren to Mercedes next season, according to unnamed sources at Ferrari as quoted by the BBC.

“I’ve always said that I don’t want two roosters in the hen-house,” Montezemolo told Italian radio. “I don’t like that and it creates instability in the team which is something noone wants.”

Vettel holds key to his season

Meanwhile, Vettel heads into the last four races of the season knowing the momentum is with him, and his fate in his own hands, after a commanding win in South Korea.

The Red Bull driver secured a third win on the trot, and in doing so leapfrogged Alonso at the top of the drivers’ standings, in what looks like a two-horse race now for the title.

The chasing McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button endured a dreadful weekend at Yeongam. Hamilton was 10th while his fellow Briton was dumped out of the race moments after the start by an apologetic Kamui Kobayashi. Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus is third in the championship but a hefty way behind the two at the top of the pack.

Vettel, who is going after a third title on the bounce, tops the charts with 215 points, the Spaniard Alonso is on 209 and Raikkonen back on 167. The next grand prix is in India in two weeks.

“For many months it was something of a real roller-coaster ride, but we finally found our strength again and since Singapore it has been working well for us,” said Vettel, after he and Mark Webber took a Red Bull one-two in South Korea on Sunday. But he said nobody at Red Bull was getting carried away.

“Lately we had some pretty good races and of course I hope that we will be able to continue in that way. But it is also obvious this season that things can change quite fast, so there is no guarantee that luck will stay on our side. So ‘keep on pushing’ should be our motto for the last four races.”

Ferrari, who have now overtaken the fast-fading McLaren team in the constructors’ championship, refused to sound disheartened by Vettel’s fine run of form.

“It is true that Red Bull was quickest all weekend, but our aim was to be right behind them and we achieved that,” said the 31-year-old Alonso. “We are right in the fight for the title with a car that has never been the fastest. It seems we are capable of doing something good too.”

Montezemolo

“I’ve always said that I don’t want two roosters in the hen-house. I don’t like that and it creates instability in the team”

 Alonso

“It is true that Red Bull
was quickest all weekend, but our aim was to be right behind them and we achieved that”

Vettel

“For many months it was something of a real roller-coaster ride, but we finally found our strength again and since Singapore it works.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2012.