When it was announced last year that Sebastian Vettel was leaving Ferrari, many were left shocked. Some believed that the German was parting ways with the team because of tension with his teammate, Charles Leclerc. However, the team principal of the Italian team, Mattia Binotto feels that wasn’t the case at all.

Things went sour for the two of them in the 2019 season. Leclerc managed to beat Vettel by coming fourth in the driver’s standings, and adding to their problems was the pair’s crash in Brazil. This ruined their partnership till the point of no return.

Now with the four-time champion at Aston Martin and Carlos Sainz replacing him at the Scuderia, Binotto can finally reveal why Ferrari and Vettel went their separate ways for the new season.

Sebastian Vettel had no hostility from Leclerc, says Binotto

Speaking to RaceFans, the team boss said, “No, no, no – what happened in 2019 was not the reason. When we had the lockdown at the start of last year it was the time for us to decide [on our future driver line-up].”

“It was even more important to decide very soon simply out of full respect to ourselves, and to Sebastian to give him the opportunity to find another seat. The fact that today he’s driving for Aston Martin, I’m very happy with that,” Binotto concluded.

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How’s the German doing in his new chapter at Aston Martin?

Vettel has joined the Silverstone-based team for the 2021 season. However, things got off to a rough start for the German as he struggled to get used to the car and earn points for his team in the championship.

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His first signs of improvement came at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he qualified eighth and finished fifth place, earning ten points – his first of the season.

Now, Vettel prepares himself for the sixth round of the championship, which is set to take place in the streets of Baku. He hopes to achieve a similar result.

Has Seb really found his form again? Or was Monaco a one-off event? We will just have to wait for the weekend to find out.

Read More: Azerbaijan GP: Vettel Explains Key to a “Good Result” for Aston Martin