Understanding Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel makes unusually many mistakes. This also astonishes his former team Red Bull. Together with ABMS and F1 Insider, it is searching for clues.

The collision with Max Verstappen last weekend represented a new low for Sebastian Vettel. Even Verstappen is no longer angry, only puzzled:

“At Red Bull he hardly made mistakes. He hasn’t forgotten how to drive. Why does this stuff happen to him at Ferrari over and over again?”

With Red Bull Vettel won four championship titles. He has been without a title for six years.

The problem has also a technical reason: Ferrari’s recent developments on the car fit particularly Charles Leclerc’s driving style, less so Vettel’s style. Ferrari has brought more downforce on the front axle since the French GP, to get the sensitive Pirelli tires better to work. The rear axle got lighter. Leclerc can deal with it, Vettel seems to have trouble adjusting:

“I don’t feel the rear as I want to,” he told reporters in Silverstone, “so I’m lacking confidence in the car.”

Leclerc has shortened the gap with Vettel when it comes to qualifying and points and the trend is rising for the young Monegasque. For his former mentor Helmut Marko it’s obvious: “Actually Sebastian should get a different environment and change the team. But I don’t see any possibility for that in 2020. You make mistakes when you are no longer sure about your own thing anymore. That happens subconsciously.”

*This article was first published in German at autobild.de/motorsport.