Jenson Button has expressed his surprise that Sebastian Vettel will be on his way through "a big red door" at Ferrari and hopes this will not be his last Formula One season.

It was announced on Tuesday that the four-time F1 world champion will not remain with the Scuderia beyond this year.

Vettel denied money was the reason for his departure, stating the two parties had "no common desire to stay together."

Button clearly thought Vettel might sign a new deal with the Italian team he joined from Red Bull in 2015.

Brit Button, the 2009 F1 champion, believes the 32-year-old would be a big loss to the sport if he quits.

He tweeted: "Well that's a bit of a surprise, only Vettel & Binotto [Mattia, Ferrari's team principal] know the true reason for Seb walking/being helped out of a very big red door at the end of this year.

"Hopefully Vettel wants to continue as it would be a shame to lose a driver with such talent from the F1 grid."