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Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer has said the outfit has no intention not to honour its current drivers’ contracts, yet declined to confirm the line-up would remain unchanged amid links to Sebastian Vettel.
The Silverstone-based team, which will become Aston Martin next year, is reported to have made an approach for four-time champion Vettel, even though it’s repeatedly insisted both Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll have multiple years left on their deals.
Szafnauer faced the latest round of Vettel-related questioning on Friday in Hungary, reiterating his stance that Racing Point was “happy with the drivers we have”.
“It is the silly season already, which I just can’t fathom because we’ve only done two races and we’re already talking about driver changes – but we’re happy with the two that we have and they’re contracted,” Szafnauer said.
However, when asked whether he was able to confirm this meant Perez and Stroll would be the line-up going forward, Szafnauer said: “It’s tough to predict the future.
“What they need to do is do the best they can. They are contracted, and watch this space, we’ll see where we go.
“But our intention is never to not honour our contracts.”
Szafnauer said Vettel “definitely knows how to win” and “is very competitive” when asked about what qualities the four-time champion brings to an F1 team.
“Might be a good question for Mattia [Binotto, Ferrari team boss]. He probably knows him better than I do.
“But, you know, from the outside, I know him as a friend, he’s a lovely guy. I’ve known him for a very long time.
“Straightforward, honest, and can be very fast. Four-time world champion.”
When asked what the timeline was for any Vettel-related decision, Szafnauer said: “There’s no timeline. Like I said, we’ve had two races, we’re in our third of the season, it’s silly season already – so there is no time-bound decision-making process.”
