Mike Krack said contract talks with Sebastian Vettel have been "very positive" and said he was "confident" he will remain with Aston Martin for the 2023 season.
The 35-year-old is out of contract at the end of the year, casting doubt over his future with the struggling Silverstone-based team. In his second season with Aston Martin, Vettel is unhappy with how uncompetitive his car has been.
The team has made no secret of its desire to keep the four-time world champion on the books. Team principal Krack said in June that a new offer would be extended, adding that it would be "foolish" not to try to tie Vettel down for at least another year.
But this week the German gave a cryptic assessment of his future, and appeared to suggest that he is considering retirement from Formula 1. "I don't want to fight for the points, but for the victory. Otherwise the fun is gone for me," he said, adding that he needs to be "realistic" about his goals.
Nevertheless, Krack has given a more positive update as he called upon the former Red Bull and Ferrari star to make the most of his "investment" in the team so far. "We are in talks," said the Luxembourger. "Sebastian is very, very positive, very constructive, so from that point of view, I really hope that we can continue.
"Also, maybe the investment that he has made now over two years, he should also maybe be in a position to get something from it and not hand it to someone else later. But we're confident that we can make this a success with the talks that we are having."
It has been a difficult season for Aston Martin so far, with the team in ninth place – only Williams have a worse record so far. The reality is a long way off what Vettel wants, and the same is true of the team part-owner by ambitious billionaire Lawrence Stroll.
His son Lance and Vettel were both praised by Krack for their handling of the situation. "I think both drivers, we really have to say hats off, how they cope with it, how constructive they still are with us," the team boss added. "There is no bad word, nothing at all.
"We try to do this together, try to get out together, they give us very good feedback. It would be easy for them to get frustrated but this is not what happens. Both Lance and Sebastian, they're very constructive in all the meetings and you could not sense any lack of pushing or motivation from the current situation."
