Berlin (dpa) - Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone advises Mercedes to sign Sebastian Vettel.
"This could give the employees an emotional boost and also set positive signals for the outside world. The PR effectiveness of Vettel at Mercedes would be mega," said the 89-year-old Briton "Sport1". Vettel is leaving Ferrari at the end of the year and has not yet had a new employer. The 32-year-old can also say goodbye to Formula 1.
For Ecclestone, Vettel's separation from Ferrari was foreseeable. Between the Scuderia and the Hesse it was "never the same magic" as with Ferrari and record world champion Michael Schumacher, said the longstanding managing director of the motorsport premier class. "The team and its team bosses have never been more behind Vettel than behind Schumacher," added Ecclestone.
The four-time world champion Vettel switched to the Italian racing team for the 2015 season. On several occasions, he narrowly missed the target title win with the Italians. Most recently, Vettel had not been able to agree with Ferrari on an extension of his expiring contract. Now there is speculation about a spectacular change to Mercedes.
The contracts of Lewis Hamilton (35) and Valtteri Bottas (30) at the Silver Arrows also end after this season. Of course, "a German driver in a German vehicle is a good marketing story," Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had recently told ORF. A commitment from Vettel is "not the very first agenda". The team is loyal to the current pilots.
Ecclestone statements at Sport1
Wolff statements in ORF
