• Red Bull

Vettel coy on McLaren rumours

ESPN Staff
September 4, 2014 « Drivers react to Parabolica changes | Hamilton couldn't sleep after Spa »
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Sebastian Vettel insists he is happy at Red Bull and not thinking about leaving despite lingering rumours he has been approached by McLaren.

Ron Dennis recently confirmed McLaren wants to sign the best drivers available in preparation for its partnership with Honda next year, with Vettel and Fernando Alonso believed to have been sounded out by the team. Vettel is contracted until 2016 but may well have clauses in his contract allowing him to leave earlier than that.

McLaren is yet to confirm its 2015 line-up, which it refuses to do until the pair confirm their own plans, but Vettel says he is no rush to decide his future.

"There has been a lot of talk," Vettel said. "In Spa I heard I had signed for £150 million for three years. I was asking where the pen was but nobody came back to me! I think it is normal that you have a lot of talks but it doesn't change anything that we do on a normal or regular day basis. We are not yet where we want to be, particularly on my side, so there is a lot of work and thoughts going into that which is my main attention for sure."

Vettel has failed to win this season, while Daniel Ricciardo has three victories to his name and is now considered an outsider in the title fight. Despite this downturn in fortunes Vettel insists his motivation is intact.

"I think at the moment I have plenty of challenge to be honest! As I just tried to explain I'm not yet where I want to be [with the car], so there's plenty of stuff to do. My situation hasn't changed, I'm happy where I am. But you never know what's happening in the future. Right now I don't feel the need to do something different. So I think in the case [speculation] is fairly boring.

The world champion also says he will continue to be coy to the media about the rumours.

"This is something I'm not talking to you guys about and I'm not planning to change that, I think I have my reasons. It's not my first time I have been approached in the last few years, which obviously is nice, but it's not my style to share. I'm sorry!"

It was recently announced Vettel is losing Guillaume 'Rocky' Rocquelin as his race engineer, a partnership which started in 2009, as he moves into a more central role. Adrian Newey is also reducing his involvement with Red Bull but Vettel says his outlook is no different despite the team's personnel upheaval.

"It is normal that people change their positions. Adrian for sure was a strong asset for the last couple of years and will be in the future, but there are other people, very bright, very clever people we have on board who have joined up.

"Rocky is changing his position, he is not off, so we still benefit from him in the future. It is not necessarily bad to change the team around to have some new inputs and also some new challenges, and different people to work with."

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