What legacy will Vettel leave?
Why divorce from Ferrari puts German at a crossroads
Now the dust has settled (a bit) on the conscious uncoupling of Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari, the music on the Formula 1 merry-go-round has started to subside a little. There is still the subject of who will get the now-vacant Renault drive to determine, but the seismic shifts have happened. Even if Fernando Alonso returns to Renault, as has been mooted, it is hard to take him seriously as a regular threat for wins. It’s a shame, because he is a grand prix talent which has been largely squandered in the last 15 years…
The driver changes do bring into focus some battles to relish. Carlos Sainz going to Ferrari will provide its incumbent hero Charles Leclerc with some stiff opposition, but is it a poisoned chalice? Ferrari has form, stretching back to Michael Schumacher’s first season with the Scuderia back in 1996, showing that it operates far more comfortably when it is throwing its weight behind one driver rather than two. Remember, “Fernando is faster than you”? That sums up the Italians’ philosophy to motorsport really.
So Sainz will have a job on his hands not to slot into the subservient Rubens Barrichello-eddie Irvine role. But you could argue that Leclerc himself managed to wriggle free of those shackles, and if Sainz is fast enough, that conundrum will solve itself.
Leclerc is, in my mind, probably the most exciting talent to emerge since Max Verstappen in 2015.
He has all the ingredients, including a selfish streak, to continue his trajectory to the top of grand prix racing. Sainz has put himself into the lion’s den.
Daniel Ricciardo was, according to sources, in the frame for Ferrari too but there was a breakdown in their conversations. Ricciardo is another driver who is hugely popular and he has already shown his mettle on the track. The ill-fated Renault switch at the beginning of 2019 was an odd one, and the fractures in the relationship began almost as soon as it became clear that the team hadn’t maintained its position as the fourth-best team on the grid – indeed, far from it.
Did Ricciardo run away from a battle with Verstappen at Red Bull? Yes, in all probability. But you can understand why. Now he is headed to a rejuvenated Mclaren, which does seem like a superb fit. He will have the experience the team needs to help it get its 2021 Mercedes-powered challenger back to the position that the team is used to occupying.
Much overlooked in the shuffling recently has been the fact that Mclaren has also retained Lando Norris for the 2021 season. That, potentially, could be a major thorn in the side for Ricciardo – but the dynamic will be great to watch and who doesn’t want to see Mclaren with two top drivers battling for wins?
The other prickly topic remaining is what happens to Vettel now? He has given no indication as to his future path just yet, but it is hard to see where he would end up.
Realistically, there are three teams a driver would target: Ferrari (shutters down to the German), Red Bull (which has said Vettel would be a “enormously unlikely” candidate to join Verstappen in the future) and Mercedes. The latter is the only one which is definitely not off the table, but would Lewis Hamilton welcome Vettel? It is hard to see that happening, and surely Mercedes would bow to the desires of the driver who has led it to most of its recent success.
Former F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone was quoted in the German press recently saying that Vettel still had a point to prove in grand prix racing.
The 89-year-old, always one to happily drop an incendiary device into any F1-related topic, said:
“As Leclerc came up, Ferrari did not reiterate confidence in Sebastian and ultimately it led to divorce. It never worked really.
“[Leaving Ferrari], he will be able to tackle each race without any pressure and with a lot of aggression. He will have the opportunity to show Leclerc that he is still far from done.”
Vettel might well be far from done, but you have to suspect that the top-line F1 teams might well be done with him.
Given Mercedes’ recent raft of success, it is all-too easy to forget that Vettel is a four-time world champion. His dream partnership with Red Bull, Renault, Adrian Newey and Christian Horner seems a long time ago.
When F1 observers look back on his career, Vettel’s place among the greats is unclear. Rarely does Vettel do something on-track that sears itself into the minds of fans. Name his five best drives in F1 – just have a think. Hard, isn’t it, once you get beyond his first win with Toro Rosso?
It’s much, much easier with the likes of Hamilton, Verstappen, Leclerc and even Ricciardo. And that is the problem. F1, particularly in the modern generation, is about the wow factor, and
Vettel’s has simply run out.
It could be that he departs F1 with a whimper, which would be a shame, but sadly seems increasingly likely.
“Sebastian Vettel’s place among the F1 greats is still highly unclear”