Haas Formula 1 Team principal Guenther Steiner stated that the team will not be going after four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who announced that he will be leaving Scuderia Ferrari at the end of the 2020 season.
Vettel has yet to find a ride for the 2021 season, and it is unclear if he will try and pursue a seat on the grid, or bring his illustrious career to a close.
His options at the top of the grid are waning, with Red Bull Racing ruling out a move for the German, and despite some rumblings from Mercedes, they will be hesitant to line him up next to Lewis Hamilton.
Steiner believes that if Vettel were to return to the grid, he wouldn’t want to race for a middle of the pack team, and also joked that Haas simply couldn’t afford the former world champion.
“I cannot afford it!” Steiner told Sky Sports F1 when asked whether Haas could mount an offer.
“I think Sebastian, being a four-time world champion, I wouldn’t say he’d want to go to the midfield anymore.
“If you have a successful career, what you don’t want to do is to take too many risks. I’ve got a good relationship with him but I haven’t offered him a seat. I think somebody else with a lot deeper pockets than me will do that!”
With no spots available at McLaren either, some have thrown around the idea of Vettel moving to Renault, who have an open seat due to the departure of Daniel Ricciardo to the aforementioned McLaren camp. Contrary to this, Renault have stated that they are in no rush to confirm their 2021 driver lineup.
Another possibility is Aston Martin, who will be taking over the Racing Point team for 2021. If the investment by Aston Martin and Lawrence Stroll is enough to turn the team into a front-runner, the door could be open to a possible move.
