Sebastian Vettel seems to be getting going again at Aston Martin. In his last two years at Ferrari, Vettel was written off as a front runner for a top team, but at Aston Martin he has shown that he is still extremely fast with the right team and under the right circumstances. A worthy way to continue his career, and so the decision for Vettel turned out to be the right one.
Red Bull Racing prodigy
Sebastian Vettel did well at the end of 2013. The German won his fourth World Championship title for Red Bull Racing and that is still a credit to the team. Seb is the child prodigy of Red Bull. The first driver to really break through the youth program and to win his first world title for the team in 2010 out of the blue. It can’t get any better for Vettel.
With four World Cup titles under his belt, Vettel may have believed in himself a little too much at this point. The fact that Daniel Ricciardo beat him in 2014 is due to the car and the fact that he already has Ferrari in his sights. Vettel goes to drive with his dream team what his idol Michael Schumacher did: to become world champion with Ferrari.
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Ferrari’s print
For Ferrari, Vettel was a relief after the elephant in the room (Fernando Alonso). But with the pressure from Ferrari, there had to be victories. It got serious.
That pressure began to weigh on Vettel’s shoulders, and it showed in 2017. With a car that finally seemed capable of attacking Mercedes, Vettel did the craziest things. He headed for Hamilton after an alleged “brake test” in Azerbaijan and collided with Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen at the start in Singapore.
Hamilton went away with the world title and did so again in 2018, when Vettel had an even better package available if possible. With the higher pressure, however, came more mistakes, with the low point of his career in Germany, where he slipped into the wall of the tire before his very eyes and led the race.
Ferrari drops Vettel
Where Red Bull Racing had supported Vettel in difficult times, Ferrari always left Vettel alone. Changes in management didn’t help, and when Charles Leclerc was brought to Ferrari in 2019, everyone knew enough: Leclerc should be the new front runner. Few expected that the Monegasque would take the reins so quickly.
Just like in 2014 with Daniel Ricciardo, Vettel did not know what to do with the internal fight in 2019 and 2020. He needs trust, not rivalry. The German quickly took a back seat, and after winning in 2019, he stayed on a podium and a thirteenth place in the table in 2020. With Carlos Sainz as the new driver for 2021, an inglorious end to the career of a time world champion seemed to be in sight.
Quit F1?
Vettel had serious doubts whether he should continue. Did he still like it and was there a team that could show its skills as four-time world champions? Lawrence Stroll saw his chance to become a figurehead for Aston Martin. A smart move from a marketing point of view, or should it also get Lance Stroll to beat a four-time world champion?
These doubts were there at the beginning of the season, and Vettel did not dispel them with a fluctuating start. What if he lost to Stroll? Leaving at Ferrari wasn’t a great way to end your career, but what if he lost to Stroll?
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Aston Martin revives Seb. again
But it doesn’t seem to have come that far yet. Vettel has revived himself in Monaco and got more out of the car than was thought possible, and in Azerbaijan he has continued that streak. Vettel is again the man of his team. Aston Martin has a former world champion in its ranks for the first time and they are only too happy with that.
In this regard, Vettel is actually perfectly positioned. At Aston Martin there is no compulsion to fight for the world title and Vettel does not have the competition of a great talent in his team. Vettel is considered a front runner and is supported internally by his team. He’s in his place, and then you see what he can do again.
Vettel is a special driver. Give him confidence, a lesser teammate, support him when things aren’t going so well and don’t put the pressure of victory on his shoulders and you have a very fast driver. With this speed he has proven that he can win world titles and is one of the best of his generation, but he has to be treated right.
Vettel has had difficult seasons, but as a world champion he deserves the respect to say goodbye to sport with dignity. He’s made up his mind to keep going and he’s showing at Aston Martin why it was the right choice. So he can end his career in style and he should be congratulated for that, because above all he is just a good guy.
This article was originally published on the Dutch version of GPBlog.com, created by Tim
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