Sebastian Vettel’s thoughts on Japan, not where he may drive next season

World champion Sebastian Vettel laughed off persistent speculation about his future and said it was far from his mind in the run-up to the Japanese Grand Prix.

German Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel says thoughts of leaving Red Bull Racing for McLaren or any other team have not crossed his mind. Srjdan Suki / EPA

SUZUKA, Japan // World champion Sebastian Vettel laughed off persistent speculation about his future on Thursday, and said it was far from his mind in the run-up to the Japanese Grand Prix.

The paddock rumour mill has linked Red Bull’s four-times defending champion with a switch to McLaren or Ferrari next year as speculation builds over the identity of the line-up for McLaren, to be powered by Honda.

It has been suggested that Honda will effectively buy out his contract but Vettel shrugged off the merry-go-round transfer talk as part and parcel of the sport, pointing to Britain’s Jenson Button as a prime example.

“I think there have always been rumours in the last couple of years, especially in this part of the season,” said the ­German, 27. “It [the speculation] is probably more for Jenson. He has 17 [rumoured] teammates for next year – I was one a couple of weeks ago and maybe I will be next week again.

“It is not in my head.”

Vettel said what he is thinking about is how to build on his encouraging second-place finish behind Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes in last month’s Singapore race, only this third podium of the year.

Once-mighty Red Bull have been outperformed by Mercedes in 2014, with Vettel slipping to a distant fifth in the drivers’ championship, a whopping 117 points behind points leader Hamilton.

Vettel, who has won four of the past five races at Suzuka, was confident he had turned a corner after his best performance of the season in Singapore.

“It’s all the small bits coming together,” he said.

“Obviously, we hardly ran the first half of the season. We had lots of issues in winter to overcome, and then a lot of issues on my side in the first half, which is never great.

“Now, I think, it’s coming our way. But there’s still huge potential that I feel we are getting closer [to], but there’s a lot of work ahead of us to make sure we extract it in the next couple of races as well.”

Central Japan is bracing for a typhoon this weekend, which could make conditions treacherous.

“I think the chances [of it hitting] are 50-50,” Vettel said.

“But there’s a chance to do well. This circuit suits me and suits our car, so I think we should be a little bit closer this weekend again.”

De Silvestro’s hopes hit by lack of funds

Simona De Silvestro’s hopes of becoming the first woman to race in Formula One since 1976 have hit the skids because of financial difficulties.

The Sauber team said they had ended their testing deal with the Swiss, 26, who had targeted a race seat in 2015.

“Everybody in the team who worked with her during the last six months is disappointed it came to this point, because they liked working with her,” a spokesman for the Swiss-based team said.

Cash-strapped Sauber, who are seeking investors, are having their worst season in F1 and are yet to score a point.

Their plight is underlined by the need for drivers to bring funding into the team.

That is the reason the Swiss-based outfit decided to drop De Silvestro after her American backers failed to raise more money.

De Silvestro, who spent four years in the IndyCar Series and scooped the 2010 Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year award, was being groomed by Sauber and tested an older model Sauber F1 car in April before testing again at ­Valencia.

The last woman to get close to racing in F1 was Italian Giovanna Amati, who failed to qualify with Brabham in 1992.

The last female driver to race, and the only one to score a point, was fellow Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976.

Britain’s Susie Wolff has driven free practice sessions for Williams this year.

Bianchi ready to step in if Alonso vacates seat at Ferrari

Frenchman Jules Bianchi says he is ready to replace two-time world champion Fernando Alonso at Ferrari next season if the Spaniard is lured away to McLaren.

Bianchi, 25, told a news conference ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix that a switch to Ferrari would be “logical” for him after a two-year apprenticeship with current team Marussia.

“Of course I feel ready,” Bianchi said. “I have been working on that since I joined the [Ferrari] academy in 2009. Now I have done nearly two seasons in F1. I have good experience and feel ready for that. It looks like the logical step for me if something happens.”

There has been mounting speculation over whether Alonso will see out his contract, which would open up a seat alongside Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen. With most of the marquee drivers locked into deals, Bianchi would be a serious contender as part of the team’s young driver programme.

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