2019 Review – Sebastian Vettel: A Number One Position in Question

The origins of Sebastian Vettel’s woes may find their explanations in the second half of the 2018 season. Stringing together disappointments and failures, the German ended the 2018 season on his knees. The 2019 season wouldn’t start any better for him, as he would lose his Finnish teammate Kimi Räikkönen, who, let’s say, wasn’t much of a competition within the team. He would have to deal with a new ambitious arrival, the young Monegasque Charles Leclerc.

As in 2018, the German heavily paid the price for his own mistakes. However, this year would bring him a new challenge—a teammate who would push him to the ropes, determined to take his place within the team. He started the year with the position of leader assured by the new Team Principal of Scuderia, Mattia Binotto. Strengthened by two encouraging seasons, Scuderia was counting on its German driver to win the world championship title and, moreover, to catch up with the British driver, Lewis Hamilton.

Quite quickly, Sebastian Vettel had to lower his ambitions due to the lack of performance of the SF90 against Mercedes’ relentless W10, and especially against his rival Lewis Hamilton. Although the German driver managed to dominate his teammate in qualifying with a 6-1 lead (counting Charles Leclerc’s accident in Baku), his race results did not follow, once again due to lapses in concentration. Sebastian Vettel could have taken advantage of his teammate’s mechanical problem during the Bahrain Grand Prix if he hadn’t spun while battling Lewis Hamilton.

It was then in Canada that the German driver gave in under the pressure imposed by the British driver, pushing him to delay his braking and go straight through turns 4-5. A re-entry to the track deemed too dangerous by the FIA would deprive him of a victory.

If, from an accounting perspective, the start of the season was favorable for the German, he was quickly overtaken by a Charles Leclerc more at ease with his car. Vettel may begin to feel the pressure and makes several avoidable mistakes, such as the collision with Max Verstappen at the British Grand Prix. But he also delivers great races, scoring big points like in Hockenheim, finishing P2 after starting from the last position. The German hasn’t found the race that would reassure him and truly begin his season. Even if he manages to get on the podium at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the return from vacation will largely be against him.

And it was indeed very complicated for the German driver, forced to watch his teammate clinch his first F1 victory and the first of the season for the Italian team at the Belgian Grand Prix. Relegated to the role of spectator, he finished behind the two Mercedes, just off the podium.

The rest will only get worse, as at the next Grand Prix in Italy, the German will have his worst race with Ferrari, spinning at Ascari and returning to the track causing a collision with Lance Stroll, the Racing Point driver. Vettel will receive a heavy penalty from the FIA. He will be forced to watch helplessly as his teammate Charles Leclerc triumphs in front of a crowd of Tifosi.

The Singapore Grand Prix, one of the favorite circuits of the German driver, was going to be marked by a questionable and widely contested team order. Scuderia Ferrari would half-admit to trying to boost their driver by offering him a victory that should, in fact, have gone to his Monegasque teammate.

Forced to safely pilot, Vettel didn’t manage to use this victory as a springboard. His poor start in Japan and his retirement in Russia will definitively end his hopes for new successes and for 3rd place in the drivers’ championship. The final race of 2019 in Abu Dhabi will reflect his season, with mistakes in free practice and qualifying, a risky strategy in the race, and a disappointing 5th place at the finish line.

The German’s record is not catastrophic because he contributed to securing his team’s 2nd place in the constructors’ championship, but it’s when you compare his performance to that of his young teammate that the situation becomes challenging.

Never has he been as challenged by his teammate as he has been since the famous Daniel Ricciardo episode at Red Bull Racing in 2014. The German found an escape route to avoid the confrontation and secured a new leading position at Ferrari. However, this time he will have to spend another year with Charles Leclerc. He will then begin his last contract year with the team with the prancing horse. Many other top F1 drivers will also be out of contract, and the game of musical chairs might not favor the German driver this time.