IN A GIANT’S FOOTSTEPS
If Ferrari have yet to prove that as a team they are a match for Mercedes, it is also valid to ask whether Vettel believes, deep down, that he really is a better driver than Hamilton, in the way that Hamilton very much believes he is a better driver than Vettel.
It’s unlikely that question will be answered for some time – if ever. And it is almost certainly not relevant, because Vettel has a more tangible goal in mind than that. It’s not just about a number for him either. He wants to be the next person to win the championship for Ferrari, and to follow in the footsteps of his hero
– and later friend – Michael Schumacher.
“I want to win in red,” Vettel said after signing his new three-year deal with Ferrari last summer. “We talked about inspiration earlier, about Michael, who was mostly dressed in red. He won most of his races and titles in red. I don’t want to step in his footsteps. The whole generation of the Ferrari team today have to leave their own footsteps. But certainly there is a huge inspiration. Something that for me is now the biggest challenge and dream I have. It’s what I want to achieve.”
For Vettel, this goes back to childhood, and watching Schumacher rack up all those wins and titles for Maranello. He was intoxicated by the Ferrari legend then, and it has never left him. Even through his dominant years with Red Bull, he had an eye on a move to Italy. There were quiet conversations for a number of years. Each agreed they would be the other’s next move; it was only a matter of when.
When Alonso began to lose faith in Ferrari through 2013, the idea began to solidify in the mind of Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo. In 2014, Alonso fell out with new team boss Marco Mattiacci just as Vettel was struggling to cope with his new team-mate Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull. Depending on who you believe, Alonso decided to leave, or was forced out by Ferrari. Vettel exercised the option in his Red Bull contract that let him exit and his quest to emulate Schumacher began.
“Ferrari has something unique,” says Vettel, “something that other teams don’t have… it appears that this legend is still alive because of the people that work for it day-in, day-out. If you walk down the streets of Maranello the presence of Ferrari is huge, but if you see the people working at Ferrari it is even bigger what they carry inside them, the passion for the brand, and I am convinced it allows them to go an extra step compared to other teams. It is great to be part of that family. We haven’t yet achieved what we wanted to achieve.”
That fifth title, then? It matters very much to both Hamilton and Vettel. Just not necessarily for the same reasons – or for the number by itself.