While Ferrari’s pre-season testing programme may have left its true competitiveness shrouded in mystery, Sebastian Vettel sent o🧸ut a clear mes🍸sage regarding his Formula 1 future.

As the Scuderia went about its relatively low-key winterꦚ test by focusing on establishing strong correlation between on-track performance and its simulator rather than worrying about topping the timesheets, arguably the biggest headline to emerge from the Ferrari camp was an update from Vettel.

Speaking during a press conference with Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto on the opening day of the second pre-season test at Barcelona, the Germ💃an gave the clearest indicat𝔉ion yet that he is committed to both F1 and Ferrari.

Vettel has batted away retirement suggestions during a difficult two-year period that has promised much but resulted in li✤ttle success and large quantities of frustration for ♑the four-time world champion.

Despite this, Vettel insists he is heading into the upcoming season - which marks the final year of his current Ferrari contract - as determined as ever to achieve what he has so far failed to in six years at꧑ Maranello in endi𝓀ng the Italian squad’s decade-long wait for silverware.

“🦋I still love what I do, I love driving,” Vettel said. “I got really excited when I got in the car last week and very quickly got back into a rhythm and♛ that feels great.

“The satisfaction you get from driving t🐼he car I would say feels the same. I’m here to win and in that regard we had some years that were go👍od, better than others, but none of them had been to our liking at the very end.

“I joined Ferrari to win the championship, we haven’t done so far, it’s been a couple of years, but the hunger, will and determination is still there ꦚinside the team.”

Vettel has become the de-facto key player in the 2021 driver market, which has stagnated somewha🙈t after much hype and expectation towards the back end of the 2019 campaign.

With Max Verstappen committing to a new long-term Red Bull deal, and Lewis Hamilton set to extend his successful partnership with Mercedes, Vet𒀰tel finds himself as the man holding the key to any potential high-profile driver dominos.

Ferrari was actually the first team to set off the chain of events which has led to a stale driver market picture for thಞe top teams in 2021 when it opted to hand Charles Leclerc a long-term deal until the end of 2024 over the winter as reward a stellar first season at the team.

Any hopes of an𝓰 exciting raft of changes were effectively dispelled after suggestions of a sensational switch to Ferrari for Haಌmilton cooled following much speculation towards the end of last year.

Binotto dismissed the rumours at Ferrari’s pre-season launch before reiterating his stance that Vettel remains the team’s first choice for 2021 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Ca🧔talunya.

“I already mentioned that Seb is our first option,” Binotto𒉰 explained. “I always mentioned it’s a great line-up, probably the best in F1, of which I am very happy and proud as Ferrari.

“We started the ea⛄rly discussion with Seb and we are very aware that the contract is extinguishi💟ng, but it will come very soon to close the discussion and see what is in the best interest in both of us.

“What’s more important is the project which we’re sharing, even our longer-term view. I’m sure very soon we’ll come to an ♛agreement.🅰”

Ve𝕴ttel’s future will largely be swayed on how the upcoming campaign goes. A💯nother poor season might prompt Ferrari to look elsewhere, or should he struggle to handle the continued rise of his impressive younger teammate Leclerc, would he call it quits and walk away?

Vettel was coy on Leclerc’s ꦉcontract extension and while he insisted he was “happy” for the Monegasque, he admitted Leclerc’s renewal could affect his own ♚decision on what step he takes next.

Any scenario in which Vettel leaves Ferrari would likely pave the way for Daniel Ricciardo to emerge as the prime candidate for the seat, particularly if🍷 he grows frustr💫ated should the Renault project fail to make the sort of progress as hoped this year ahead of the 2021 regulation overhaul.

Ferrari’s approach he𓆏ading inꦿto the new season has been understated, with Binotto quick to downplay his side’s chances and holding the view that the Scuderia is currently lagging behind its rivals.

There have been mixed messages from the drivers relating to Ferrari’s l꧅atest SF1000 contender which the team hopes can finally end Mercedes’ run of dominaꦓnce in the V6 hybrid era.

But is it all just꧅ the usual pre-season game of smoke and 𓄧mirrors?

There ar✃e many unknowns on the eve of 2020 but for the time being, Vettel seems driven in his que▨st to return Ferrari to its past levels of glory.