'Vettel never got offer from Ferrari; contract Sainz agreed well before Melbourne'

Before it became known that Sebastian Vettel will leave Ferrari after this season, the negotiations between the two parties were discussed for weeks. Ferrari would have made a proposal in which the German had to surrender his status as first driver and a significant part of his salary. However, reports are now coming out that this offer never existed at all.

That's what sources tell The Race, the publication that organises the virtual All Star Series in recent months. Those sources report that Mattia Binotto had already decided to end her collaboration with Vettel at the end of 2019, after several conflicts had arisen during the season.

By extension, the team would already have been with Carlos Sainz in December, while at about the same time Charles Leclerc was confirmed for the next five years. Negotiations with Sainz were completed in the following months and they would have been agreed well ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo has also been in contact with Ferrari in December, but that was short-lived. It was clear from the beginning that Ferrari wanted Sainz. All the stories that the negotiations with Vettel only broke recently are therefore not based on anything, according to The Race. The team's statement also ties in with this, because nowhere is a rejected offer mentioned.