Abu Dhabi: Four-time defending Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel said on Thursday that it is “an incredible honour” to emulate his hero Michael Schumacher and join Ferrari, stressing he will put his “heart and soul” into ending the Italian outfit’s seven-year title drought next season.
Ferrari officially announced the arrival of Vettel from Red Bull on a three-year deal to replace Fernando Alonso, who is being tipped to join McLaren, at a press conference ahead of the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old German joins Kimi Raikkonen at the ‘Scuderia’, the Finn winning the Italian giants’ last F1 world title in 2007.
Before that, Schumacher, who remains critically ill after a skiing accident last December, won five of his seven world titles at the iconic ‘Prancing Horse’ outfit.
Vettel said he felt it was “the right time” to leave Red Bull, with whom he has been since he was 12 years old. Speaking at the venue for the Abu Dhabi GP, Yas Marina Circuit, he said: “The next stage of my Formula One career will be spent with Scuderia Ferrari, and for me that means the dream of a lifetime has come true. When I was a kid, Michael Schumacher in the red car was my greatest idol and now it’s an incredible honour to finally get the chance to drive a Ferrari.
He added: “I already got a small taste of what the Ferrari spirit means when I took my first win at Monza in 2008, with an engine from the Prancing Horse built in Maranello. The Scuderia has a great tradition in this sport and I am extremely motivated to help the team get back to the top. I will put my heart and soul into making it happen.”
Meanwhile, 33-year-old Alonso, who won two world titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, said leaving Ferrari had been a difficult decision to make.
The Spaniard, who refused to confirm he will be joining McLaren, said: “It was a difficult decision to take, but a carefully considered one, and it’s been an amazing experience at Ferrari.
“I leave Scuderia Ferrari after five years, during which I reached my very best level professionally, tackling major challenges that pushed me to find new limits. I am so proud to have had those five years with an amazing team and an amazing brand like Ferrari.
“I am very proud of what we have achieved together. Now I look to the future with great enthusiasm, a new chapter of my career, knowing that part of my heart will always belong to the Prancing Horse.”
Meanwhile, ailing Formula 1 legend Schumacher is communicating with his wife only by blinking, according to former racing driver Philippe Streiff.
“With his wife Corinna, he communicates with his eyes. He’s starting to show signs of consciousness,” Streiff, himself wheelchair-bound after suffering a crash in 1989 in Brazil, was reported as saying by Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper.
“This is, of course, not the same disease as locked-in syndrome but the result is the same: You cannot move, cannot talk, you cannot do anything, he is enclosed in his body, but communicates by blinking his eyes.”
The 45-year-old is paralysed and in a wheelchair following a skiing accident in the French Alps last December that has made him seriously disabled and unable to move or speak.
