Really disappointing news to wake up to.
The option of a 1 year contract at Ferrari seems unlikely.
I think I read, that part of the reason he left Ferrari (besides being tired of F1), was that he didn't want his buddy Massa being kicked out as a result of him staying.
I didn't follow F1 as closely back then, compared to now, but I wanted to mention it even though admittedly it could have just been a random statement in the "less technical" parts of this forum, that my brain decided to remember.
If there is truth in it, it would be another factor making the move to Ferrari less likely.
Willi Weber said, first thing he would have done as his manager was drive to Maranello asap.
I really would like to see him in a competitive Ferrari for a year though.
Sauber option imo is not that unlikely to happen. As he knew of the Hamilton deal for several days now, I think he would have announced his retirement today, if there were no options left worth considering.
Money shouldn't really be a factor. He is bringing lots of sponsors and if he wants to race, he could just drive for a 1 Swiss Franc salary. It's not like he needs the money.
Actually couldn't he even create a company with the sole purpose of sponsoring Sauber with some of his own cash and give them say a 10 million/year sponsorship in addition to having no salary boosting their budget by 15-20 million a year.
Would that be in conflict with the sporting regulations? Whether something like that would make sense for him, just for a little increase in competitiveness in the limited timeframe he is looking at, is a different matter.
As you can probably tell I just really want to see him continue [-o< . Sad way to end his F1 career.
If I ever decide to buy a german premium saloon car,I probably won't go for a Merc.