Sebastian Vettel or crossing the desert
The team is no longer the same, but unfortunately for Sebastian Vettel, the dynamic remains unchanged. With seven consecutive non-points finishes and no wins in 27 races, the German is currently in the worst period of his career. Sixteenth in the drivers' standings with no points to his name, can the German reverse the trend?
The years seem distant when the young German prodigy was scoring points with his modest Toro Rosso, or winning titles with Red Bull and Ferrari. The native of Heppenheim is currently going through the worst period of his Formula 1 career, and the future does not look any brighter, held back by a more than struggling Aston Martin.
Rejected by Ferrari and attracted by the sirens’ call coming from Aston Martin, Sebastian Vettel hoped to revive his career in the new British team based in Gaydon. Unfortunately for him, the performances displayed by the team last year are no longer relevant and, like James Bond, even if diamonds are forever, Sebastian Vettel, four-time world champion, is at risk of quickly getting tired of Formula 1.
Making a point in his first appearance in Formula 1 at the United States Grand Prix in 2007, Sebastian Vettel had not experienced such a lean period. His last points finish was at the Turkish Grand Prix (7 races ago) and his last victory was the one he snatched in Singapore in 2019 (27 races ago) thanks to a rather focused strategy from Ferrari in favor of its German driver.
« Baby Schumi » followed in the footsteps of Michael Schumacher, his mentor, by joining Ferrari. The four-time world champion surely hoped to shine once again, but this time behind the wheel of a Scuderia single-seater. While he once fought for the world championship title against Lewis Hamilton, he quickly experienced the blows and consecutive victories of the Briton, as well as the hardships at Ferrari.
The turning point in Sebastian Vettel’s career at Ferrari may have occurred in two stages, first at the 2018 German Grand Prix, a race that saw the German driver hit the wall when the rain appeared, but also a race that put Lewis Hamilton back in the championship race. The other significant event may have been in 2019 at the Monza Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc, a newcomer to the team with the prancing horse, triumphed on Italian soil and secured a historic victory on sacred ground. This was enough for the Italian press and the tifosi to place all their hopes on the young Monegasque driver, to the detriment of his illustrious German teammate.
Today the German driver struggles to beat his teammate Lance Stroll, and finds it very difficult to understand his car. After 4 races, Sebastian Vettel has only managed to finish in front of Lance Stroll once under the checkered flag (Spanish Grand Prix). While he needs time to fully adapt to his car, it is also evident that Sebastian Vettel will have to face difficulties before being able to stand on a Formula 1 podium again.
