The rumours about the future of Sebastian Vettel have been rampant for months now. Although we do not still have a coherent answer to the question “what will Vettel do in 2021?”, one of the frequently mentioned possibilities was him joining the Aston Martin team (currently Racing Point). This was also followed by a lot of talks due to the fact that both Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll were subject to remain in the team with secured contracts, but gave mixed responses over the past couple of months about their future.

Both Perez and Stroll have made comments before that it might be them having to leave the team if Vettel was going to get aboard, but especially Perez was set to have to leave in case that happened. Recently the Mexican driver said in an interview that “There’s nothing I can do (about the Vettel rumors). What I have heard from the team is that we all want to keep going, to continue. So I believe it’s just a matter of time before those rumors can go away.”

Szafnauer was also seen talking with Vettel in the paddock, and “have him a lift to a gas station”.

Although the Vettel - Aston Martin deal seemed on the verge of being announced, in a fresh interview with Auto Motor und Sport Szafnauer gave a very confusing response to questions about the German driver.

When asked about when will the team confirm it’s drivers, Szafnauer responded: “We already did that two years ago. There is nothing more to confirm.” He was then asked openly: “So Vettel is out?” To which he responded “He was never inside”. After being pressed with questions of what does it mean for the next year, Szafnauer asked for the interview to be finished. Does that imply that the deal between Aston Martin and Vettel is not gonna take place, even after the now-confusing messages we received over the course of the past few months? 

Sebastian Vettel admitted before he was in loose talks with the Silverstone-based team during the Hungarian GP, and when asked before about the German, Szafnauer responded “He definitely knows how to win. He’s very competitive. I know him as a friend, he’s a lovely guy. I’ve known him for a long time, he’s straightforward, honest and can be very fast – he’s a four-time world champion.”

Additionally, when asked before about if Perez and Stroll will be a 100% in the car for 2021, he responded “It’s tough to predict the future. What they need to do is do the best they can. They are contracted. Watch this space, we’ll see where we go. But our intention is never to not honour our contracts.”

What does it actually mean for the future of Sebastian Vettel? Will Vettel become a part of the team, but only after 2021? Hopefully over the course of the next few weeks we will gain more insight into the plans of the 4 times world champion.