Vettel will leave Ferrari at the end of the season

After a particularly trying year plagued by mishaps and internal politics, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Ferrari at the end of the current season, the team announced Tuesday.Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said the difficult decision had been mutual but "the time had come to go our separate ways in order to reach our respective objectives."Vettel, who joined Ferrari in 2015, said financial matters had nothing to do with it and hoped he would share more "beautiful moments" in his time left with the team. "In order to get the best possible results in this sport, it's vital for all parties to work in perfect harmony," added Vettel, whose relationship with Ferrari had come under intense scrutiny after a series of incidents last year. "The team and I have realized that there is no longer a common desire to stay together beyond the end of this season."READ: Ferrari star Leclerc as talented at racing esports as he is at the real thing

'Thank you for everything'

Vettel signed for Ferrari hoping to emulate his hero Michael Schumacher's success but is yet to win a title for the Italian team — finishing second in the driver's championship in 2017 and 2018. His position as the team's number one driver has since been put under threat by the emergence of rising star Charles Leclerc, who is considered the long-term future of Ferrari. The pair locked horns a number of times last season, including at last year's Italian GP when the youngster failed to adhere to the agreed race plan.The frustration continued to build at the Singapore GP, when a strange Ferrari strategy saw Vettel leapfrog Leclerc, much to the Monegasque's annoyance.Their relationship then reached boiling point in Brazil when the pair made unnecessary contact which ruled both drivers out of the race.However, despite the internal politics, Leclerc insisted his relationship with Vettel has always been amicable."It's been a huge honor for me to be your team mate [sic]," he wrote on Twitter."We've had some tense moments on tracks. Some very good ones and some others that didn't end as we both wanted, but there Read More – Source

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