Formula 1: Key events that led to the Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel divorce

Let’s take a quick look at the key events that caused the divorce between Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel, and what effect they will have on the future in Formula 1.

The Formula 1 fairy tale story between Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari didn’t quite work out, did it? They did have several chances to become a feared partnership, but chances to win Formula 1 world championships were not taken.

As we look into the events which caused the breakup between the two parties, this also gives us a chance to see what could have been and what it will mean for the future.

There was a feel-good factor when Vettel started his venture with the legendary Ferrari team, accompanied by feelings of excitement and anxiety. Being a Ferrari driver comes with added pressure. Your successes will be idolized and your mistakes will be crucified; that is just how it goes.

More from Formula One

No other team on the grid carries the enormous amount of added weight on a driver’s shoulders like Ferrari, hence the many failings and shortcomings they have had in the past when it comes to having success with drivers.

However, Vettel did show how good of a driver he was multiple times: that dummy move into turn one on Valtteri Bottas in Spain, dipping a wheel onto the grass while overtaking Lewis Hamilton into turn three in Austria, his late dive down the inside of Bottas to win at Silverstone in 2018 to name a few. But as with most things, not everything is all sunshine and rainbows.

Vettel’s Ferrari tenure was not as bad as some think, though. His 14 Grand Prix wins puts him third on the team’s list of most successful drivers. The German also tops the list for most points for a Ferrari driver, a record that I found unexpected but nonetheless expected due to the evolution of the points system over the years. But it is still an impressive record to hold.

The key problem to the relationship was that the same mistakes were being made by both driver and team, mistakes from which their rivals would move on after they made them once. The team could only dwell on past mistakes and then re-live the same ones time after time, constantly leaving them on the back foot.

In the 2015 season, they had few complaints. They knew that a title in their first season together was a longshot, especially with how dominant Mercedes were during that time. But three Grand Prix wins had given them confidence going into the 2016 season.

They had a clear formation when it came to a number one and two driver, which is what Ferrari always want, but that was not enough. On this occasion, it was the team that let Vettel down. The Ferrari SF16-H was a modern-day dog. It just was. Finishing in third place in the constructor standings was not what they were looking for whatsoever.

Add in the tantrums that Vettel had publicly during multiple points throughout the season, and the season became a write-off about as soon as it started. But their relationship was still strong, despite a winless year.

As the new regulations came in for 2017, Ferrari had seemingly found their feet quite quickly. Vettel winning the first race in Australia provided them with hope. In fact, after the first six races, Vettel and Ferrari had notched up three race wins. Was this the year?

Nope. It really wasn’t.

The bottle was kicked in front of them and they didn’t manage to swerve it. After round six, Vettel only won two more races before the end of the season. During this time, Red Bull Racing had managed to pick their feet up with three wins, while Hamilton simply strutted his way to the title.

It was almost as if Ferrari had placed both the driver and constructor championships on the doorstep of Hamilton and Mercedes, rang the doorbell and left.

Despite Vettel signing a three-year contract extension towards the end of the 2017 season, mistakes were still being made, and poor reliability added into the mix did not help their cause.

Vettel had to start last at Malaysia due to a technical problem. He was forced to retire due to a spark plug problem on the grid at Japan. And of course, there were the events of Singapore. Those are just a few examples of what wrong towards the latter end of 2017, things that Mercedes were not doing and were able to capitalize on.

Going into 2018, the pressure had been ramped up, along with the stress. But again, Ferrari’s hopes increased, as they won the opening two races, with Vettel behind the wheel for both victories.

The relationship was at an all-time high. A win in Canada and an emphatic performance at Silverstone put Vettel and his red team in front at the halfway mark of the year. Many thought that the duo had learned from their past mistakes.

But many were wrong.

Because then Germany happened.

The race at Hockenheim was the beginning of the end of the relationship. Vettel threw it away, right then and there. He had let the team down, with his car hitting the wall at the stadium section, a picture which would turn out to be a real-life depiction of his Ferrari career from that point forward.

The level of trust they once had was falling. Despite a win at Belguim, things were rocky. The mess at Monza didn’t help his cause, either. If there is a race that a Ferrari driver does not want to make a meal out of, it is at Monza in front of the Tifosi. And he did. Twice actually. But we will get on to that race in 2019 soon.

Actually, let’s get to 2019 now. I am sure you have gotten the gist of how 2018 ended. I could have just repeated what I had said about 2017. But I saved myself the time.

Right, so 2019 was a year in which the duo had to get things right, but the team had a backup plan. They had looked into the younger department and fished out Charles Leclerc. The original relationship became stale and needed something fresh.

Exit stage left Kimi Raikkonen, welcome Leclerc.

Now, if Germany in 2018 was not a true beginning of the end for Vettel at Ferrari, then Leclerc arriving was. Vettel was comfortable with Raikkonen as the team’s number two driver, but this new young gun at Ferrari had all the motivation in the world to win.

That unnerved Vettel somewhat. Everyone who watched the 2019 season already knows what I am about to say. The first half was a mess, embarrassing at some points. Ferrari were so far off the lead that they well and truly could have been racing in other counties compared to the Mercedes drivers and Max Verstappen.

Team order mishap number one happened in Australia. Then along came Bahrain, which resulted in a win for Hamilton that should have been Leclerc’s if it wasn’t for another reliability issue.

Queue the “Bring back the V12s” comment.

Due to Leclerc’s performance that weekend, Vettel had to impress, and he had a chance to do that in a wheel to wheel battle with Hamilton. And it lasted a matter of corners, as around he went, all on his own. The tide was already turning at Ferrari.

Although Vettel had a win robbed from him in Canada, I had little sympathy for him, as Ferrari’s performance that weekend was a one-off at the time. But it all changed in the beginning of the second half of the season. Ferrari took three wins on the bounce; it was unbelievable. And all in a completely legal car. Yes, a completely legal car — moving on.

I mentioned earlier that I would talk about it, and here it is. The final nail in the coffin was Monza. Leclerc won controversially at home, fending off Hamilton, for Ferrari’s first home win since 2010. Meanwhile, Vettel threw away a good result yet again.

A spin at Ascari early on in the race was a sad image for any Vettel or Ferrari fan. In fact, he was nearly suspended because of it.

The trust was completely shattered, and Ferrari had moved their loving relationship to Leclerc. Vettel’s lone win of 2019 in Singapore now seems like a loving parting gift from the team, as they gave him the best strategy possible so that he could come out of the pits ahead of an angry Leclerc.

It seems like now more than ever that this was the team’s goodbye to him, and possibly Vettel’s swansong in Formula 1. Time will tell.

The incident in Brazil between the two red cars did not change much in the way of the relationships within the team. If anything, it just confirmed what we were all thinking. However, it was entertaining despite what some people say. Teammates coming together always provides a thrill, and if two Ferraris, of all cars, come together, then strap in.

Next. Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of all-time. dark

Personally, I can see Sebastian Vettel walking away from Formula 1. Let’s not pretend he has had a dull career; four world championships and 53 Grand Prix victories are not bad things to have on his records.

After Daniel Ricciardo’s confirmation at McLaren for 2021 to replace the Ferrari-bound Vettel replacement of Carlos Sainz Jr., the German’s options seem to be limited only to Renault, and he would not get on well with Cyril Abiteboul — not many people do.

There are some dreaming of him switching camps to Mercedes to partner Hamilton to form a supposed “dream team”. But that seems to be only a vision and a hope. Even though you should never say never, it would not shock me if we have seen the last of Sebastian Vettel in Formula 1 after 2020.

Home/Formula One