Speaking before the latest controversial episode of team orders at Ferrari, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone suggested that Sebastian Vettel would stop racing if Ferrari opted to focus its attention on his teammate Charles Leclerc.

"Sebastian would stop," he told the Daily Telegraph, "and I don't think it would take an awful lot for that to happen.

"If something upset him enough he would leave," he continued. "He is happy with his family, close with his two girls, and his wife, so the last thing he would want to do is upset them for Formula One.

"Sebastian expected to be the number one, and get that support from Ferrari," he added. "But maybe he is now thinking that Charles is going to be the top driver, and that he will have to support him. He won't move over. He won't let that happen. He won’t change teams, he will end his career (with Ferrari), and I think not much is needed for that to happen. He has a happy family life and does not want Formula One to put him out of balance.”

Asked about Ecclestone's comments in China, Vettel admitted that his prediction wasn't that far-fetched.

"I'm not going to be in Formula One as long as he was, that's for sure," joked the German. "But I hope I'm going to be as fit and as sharp as he is today when I'm hopefully that old.

"I don't know, to be honest," he continued. "At the moment I feel on top of my game, I feel that I know what I'm doing and I'm very, very self-critical, very ambitious and I put a lot of expectation on to myself.

"I love driving, I love the sensation of the speed, I love fighting with these guys so there's a lot of things that at the moment I really like and I'll miss so that's why it's not an option to quit tomorrow, I'm quite happy to race.

"Yeah, I've got the contract but that's a piece of paper and then we see what happens," he smiled.

Those comments, by the way, coming before Sunday's race and the latest team orders controversy that followed.