Vettel leaving Red Bull at the end of the season

Vettel leaving Red Bull at the end of the season

It has been announced this morning that Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel looks set to join Ferrari for next season after Red Bull Racing announced that the German will be leaving the team.

Vettel has dominated under the Red Bull flag in recent years. After claiming four successive Drivers’ Championship titles, he rewrote the history books and caught the eye of rival teams.

Vettel has often been linked to a move to Ferrari, that now appears as if it will be happening as Red Bull have confirmed he is leaving. In a team statement to the media this morning, Red Bull has confirmed that Vettel will be leaving the team at the end of the season. The team's statement stated the following:-

'Sebastian Vettel has advised us that he will be leaving Infiniti Red Bull Racing at the end of the 2014 season. We want to warmly thank Sebastian for the incredible role he has played at Infiniti Red Bull Racing for the last six years.

'Since joining the team in 2009, Sebastian, together with Infiniti Red Bull Racing, has scored 38 wins, 44 poles and eight World Championships, including four Drivers’ titles and four Constructors’. If you include Sebastian’s success at Red Bull’s second team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, the Red Bull total increases to 39 wins and 45 poles.

'As we wish Sebastian well in the next stage of his career, we also look to the future with excitement, as the vacancy makes way for the next generation of Red Bull racers.'

I think most of the Formula One world this morning is shocked with the news that Vettel is leaving Red Bull at the end of the season for potentially Ferrari. It is incredible what he has achieved with Toro Rosso firstly and then with Red Bull since he started his career in Formula One in 2008. There is no denying that Vettel has been outstanding and achieved a hell of a lot during his fifteen years with the company and the Red Bull team will be losing an valuable asset and wish him well for his future while prepare for a future without him.

Vettel’s departure has paved the way for Russian racer Daniil Kvyat to make a rapid rise through the ranks as, after just one year with Toro Rosso, he will join Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull Racing next season.

The team's statement added the following:-
'The Red Bull Junior Programme has developed some proven talents in recent times, including Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, who has excelled in the RB10 and become a three-time Formula One race winner in his first season with the team.

'We’re pleased to announce that Daniel will be joined in the team for 2015 by another rising star from the Junior Programme, Daniil Kvyat.'

Even though the focus will be on Vettel this weekend and the announcement of where he will be driving for the 2015 season, let us not forget that Kvyat who has performed brilliantly in his rookie year with Toro Rosso and has been promoted within a year to Red Bull. It is a fantastic achievement for Kvyat, he deserves all the credit for his promotion and looks to have a promising future ahead of him.

But overall, many pundits and fans have woken up this morning shocked by the news of Vettel leaving Red Bull. But we should remember that Vettel had an option written into his contract despite being contracted until the end of the 2015 season with Red Bull that could allow him to leave if he should want to. And Vettel has decided that this is the right time for him to exercise that option and take on a new challenge.

With speculation rife anyways regarding the future of Alonso being lured away from Ferrari with the offer to join McLaren despite having a contract himself until the end of the 2016 season, it has been noted that he is the main factor in the driver market for next season and where other drivers who are unsure of their future will be decided.

It has also been suggested that Alonso has fallen out with the management at Ferrari under the new leadership of Marco Mattiacci that has led no choice for Alonso to leave, but nothing has been said by either party as of yet.

With Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner only being notified of Vettel's decision to leave last night and Toro Rosso only being told of Kvyat's promotion to Red Bull last night too, Horner has stated that Vettel has made his own choice due to him having no management, he believes that he is heading towards Ferrari next season, even though nothing has been confirmed at this stage but an announcement on this is expected very shortly indeed.

But Red Bull have lost a key asset of their team today in Vettel and it would seem that the team are losing key personnel very quickly this season indeed such as Adrian Newey announcing his step back and it is clear that Vettel will be clearly missed by the team. But a massive congratulations has be given to Kvyat who has within a year been promoted to the team and has a bright future ahead of him and will have a team mate in Ricciardo that will help and push him to develop his talent further.

But it is clear that an announcement on the future of Vettel and Alonso will be made as quickly as they possibly can. And it is clear that the driver market has been well and truly rocked with the news of Vettel's departure from Red Bull, with a decision that many people did expect in the near future and certainly didn't expect at the end of this season.

All eyes will be upon Vettel and his impending announcement to Ferrari and also on Alonso and where he will end up on the grid next season too.