The translations are winding me up and I can understand how people are running with them. The quotes originate from an interview with Sky Italia with Federica Masolin, Jacques Villeneuve e Carlo Vanzini (Sky F1 Italia's answer to Herbert, Hill, Lazenby). Oh, and it's in Italian.
http://sport.sky.it/formula1/2016/10/07 ... nerdi.html
Apologies in advance for the long post.
Direct quotes:
...after discussing Kimi and how he's much happier, the quotes suddenly switch to discussing Vettel. I haven't been able to watch a clip to understand why the topic changed unless Vettel was inferred when discussing German drivers and contract renewals...
[1]
È già successo in passato con Schumacher, nel maggior momento di pressione, che arrivasse un rinnovo importante. Si parla di un rinnovo a breve?
"Non credo che le persone si conquistino con i rinnovi. Oggi i tempi sono un po’ cambiati, nel senso che quello che aveva funzionato con Michael non necessariamente potrebbe funzionare con Sebastian. Sebastian ha solo bisogno di concentrarsi sulla macchina. è una persona che dà tanto e il suo dar tanto a volte significa interessarsi un po’ di tutto, ecc… per cui ogni tanto va ripreso e va focalizzato sul lavoro principale che deve fare, ma non lo fa con spirito polemico. Lo fa perché è totalmente immerso in questa che tanti chiamano “la famiglia”, ma che io chiamo il Team Ferrari”.
[2]
Il desiderio di blindarlo c’è?
"Sebastian oggi ha un contratto con noi. abbiamo del lavoro da fare quest’anno e anche il prossimo anno. Poi durante la stagione si vedrà. Ognuno di noi ha degli obiettivi, li ho io, li ha la squadra, li ha Sebastian, li abbiamo tutti. Per cui è giusto che chiunque, indipendentemente da chi sia, si guadagni il suo posto e il suo stipendio".
translated:
[1]
In the past, when Schumacher was going through his most difficult period he had a contract renewal
I don't think that you win people over with contract renewals. Things have moved on since then and what worked with Michael may not work with Sebastian. Sebastian just needs to focus on (driving) the car. He's a guy that gives a lot and that manifests itself as trying too hard to interest himself in everything going on - every so often he's reined back in and focussed back on his main task (driving the car). He doesn't behave like this as an act, he's completely immersed in the thing they call 'la famiglia', but I call 'Team Ferrari'.
[2]
Is there a desire to tie him down with a new contract?
Right now, Sebastian has a contract with us. We've got work to do this year and next year. During next season, we'll think about the new contract. Everyone has their objectives. I have mine, everyone in the team has theirs, Sebastian has his; we all have them. Therefore it's right that everyone - regardless of who they are - earns their place and their pay-check"
I don't take this as a barbed remark aimed at Vettel because he's underperforming, nor towing the boss' (Marchionne) line that no one is irreplaceable. But hey, argue away!!
note: presumably the Schumacher renewal is the contract announced in 1998 that took him through 2000-2002.