Ferrari rules out Vettel move, Hulkenberg to sign with Sauber

The president of Ferrari, Luca di Montezemolo, Monday rejected reports that double Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel was set to join the Italian outfit. “I’ve always said that I don’t want two roosters in the hen-house. I don’t like that and it creates instability in the team,” he told Italian radio. Germany’s Vettel, currently racing for Red Bull, is the reigning Formula One champion and Sunday drove to victory in the South Korean Grand Prix, leapfrogging Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso at the top of the drivers’ standings. Montezemolo was speaking amid reports that Vettel was set to join Ferrari in 2014 with any move dependent on the team’s results next season. Alonso had sanctioned the move after ruling out pairing up with Lewis Hamilton, who will move from McLaren to Mercedes next season, according to unnamed sources at Ferrari quoted by the BBC on its website. The Spaniard won the world title in 2005 and 2006 with Renault but has not finished above second with the Italian team. Meanwhile, Force India’s German Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg will drive for Sauber next season, it was reported Monday. The 25-year-old – who started his F1 career with Williams in 2010 – has according to Auto, Motor und Sport magazine already signed a contract with the Swiss team replacing McLaren-bound Sergio Perez. However his agent Timo Gans would not confirm the news to SID, a subsidiary of AFP. “I can neither confirm or deny the news,” he said. “The drivers contracts are normally announced by the teams themselves, so therefore I don’t want to pre-empt any such announcement.” The news came the day after the South Korean Grand Prix where Hulkenberg finished sixth to leave him 12th in the drivers standings on 45 points.