SEBASTIAN VETTEL may walk away from Ferrari having never delivered the Formula One title the proud Italian team so desperately wants.

The four-time world champion is leaving at the end of the year by mutual consent. But it remains uncertain if the season will start amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the first 10 races already postponed or cancelled.

The 32-year-old German driver joined Ferrari in 2015 to replace Fernando Alonso, but was unable to add to his world titles at Red Bull from 2010-13.

Observers expected him to break Michael Schumacher’s record of seven F1 titles. Now that is within reach of current world champion Lewis Hamilton, who has six.

Hamilton’s rise with Mercedes has been matched by Vettel’s gradual slide at Ferrari. Of Vettel’s 53 career wins, just 14 have come with Ferrari, including only one last year.

“In order to get the best possible results in this sport, it’s vital for all parties to work in perfect harmony,” Vettel said today. “The team and I have realised that there is no longer a common desire to stay together.”

Vettel’s existing contract earns him $40 million (£32.2m) per year, but he said finances played no part in the mutual decision. “That’s not the way I think when it comes to making certain choices,” he said.

Ferrari are still seeking their first world title since Kimi Raikkonen won in 2007. The team’s last constructors’ title was in 2006.