Sebastian Vettel will leave Ferrari at the end of the year, after six seasons spent at Maranello. This news was delivered during F1’s forced break due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was not greeted warmly by the German, who would have liked to continue his career in red. He will be replaced by Carlos Sainz.
Since the start of the 2020 season, Vettel has been in difficulty behind the wheel of an SF1000 which is itself complicated to drive and far from the performance of Mercedes and Red Bulls, most often stuck in a fight in the middle of the peloton with Racing Point, McLaren , Renault and AlphaTauri. The quadruple World Champion is also having his worst start to the F1 season after six Grands Prix.
But for Kimi Raikkonen, a great friend of Vettel and a former teammate between 2015 and 2018, things will eventually turn: “I’m sure he’s not very happy with the way things are going, but that’s the way it is. Ferrari is Ferrari and people follow these things closely, Italians of course. But I doubt that will have an impact on the work he does there. I think he’s been around long enough to know that sometimes it is, and to find a way to turn it around. “
The Finn is the last driver to be titled with Ferrari, in 2007. Currently under the colors of Alfa Romeo, he does not think that the pressure put on the Scuderia by the media and the transalpine supporters has a negative effect on the performances by Vettel.
“I have never found it different from any other team. Obviously if you read all the papers it will be a little worse, but I never looked at these things. When I was there we had a rough time and Italians can be tough on you on the media side, but that’s how it is. This is how it works in this business. “
As for Daniel Ricciardo, who teamed up with Vettel in the 2014 season at Red Bull, he feels the # 5 is more of a bounce-back type than turning his back on a problem. “I think one thing with Seb is that he is very passionate about this discipline, he loves it. He’s someone who will analyze everything and find a way to improve or find an answer to a question. I don’t think he’s the type to just run away from a problem. “
“I think he attaches great importance to it, whether it’s out of pure love of the sport or for the pride he has in himself. I expect him to bounce back. I expect him. If he wants to continue and if he believes that he can stay at the highest level as he has done for the last ten years, then he has to stay 100% in this discipline. He represents a asset for the championship, but it’s up to him to answer. “
Avec Filip Cleeren
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