Questioned in the margin of the Grand Prix of the season-opening 2020 in Austria about what had derailed the negotiations for his contract extension, the quadruple world champion answered : "We have never initiated discussions, there was never an offer on the table and so there is no stumbling block ".

Until then, the two parties ensured that the decision to separate after six seasons since 2015 had been taken in common, the rumor in the media referring to disagreements on the duration of the contract and salary of the driver, who will be 33 years old on Friday.