Ecclestone: "Vettel never had the magic that Ferrari and Schumacher had"

With the departure of Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari, it is unclear what the future will look like for the German. Several teams have already filled their seats and the only empty seat is the one of Daniel Ricciardo at Renault. What Vettel is going to do is wait and see, but it was clear that his departure was already imminent. At least that's what Bernie Ecclestone says.

Magic

"It was foreseeable that Sebastian would part with Ferrari," says Bernie Ecclestone in an interview with F1-Insider, "It was never the same magic between him and Ferrari as the Italian team had with Michael Schumacher. The team and the team bosses have never been supporting Vettel as much as they did with Schumacher."

This is also evident from last year when Charles Leclerc came in as second driver and managed to place himself on the same level as Vettel in one year time. Afterwards the Monegask also got a long term contract, which was already a big signal for the German that he lost his number one status.

Mercedes

If it is up to Ecclestone, it is wise for Vettel to take a look at what Mercedes is going to do. "In the current situation, Mercedes should consider a German hero like Sebastian. This could create an emotional boost for the employees and also set positive signals for the outside world. In any case, the PR effectiveness of Vettel at Mercedes would be mega."

That sounds interesting on paper, but with Lewis Hamilton as the first driver it is doubtful that Vettel will end up on the Bottas spot. If Bottas leaves at all after this season.