Sebastian Vettel’s journey as a Formula One driver with Ferrari came to a relatively anti-climatic end on as the German announced that he will be leaving the team at the end of the season, saying there was no “common desire” to work together any more.
While it is shock announcement in May for sure, it was not wholly unexpected after the 2019 season where Vettel’s relegation to the fifth spot and his woes compounded by Charles Leclerc, his much younger tam mate, usurping him with seven poles in his maiden season, winning twice including an emotional triumph at Monza.
With the 2020 season yet to start due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is uncertain how his final season with the Italian team will pan out. But it is unlikely that it will drastically alter what in the end will be remembered as an underwhelming partnership for all the potential it had.
When Vettel joined Ferrari in 2015, as a replacement for Fernando Alonso, he came in a four-time world champion to the most storied team in F1 history. The youngest ever world champion, he had four championships by the time he was only 26 and was once touted to break fellow German Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world titles.
After winning four successive world titles with Red Bull, he failed to win a single race with Red Bull in 2014 which prompted him to make the move. The prodigy German driver-Ferarri combination caused much anticipation among F1 fans and there was a lot of hope and pressure involved.
But the subsequent five seasons, Vettel flattered to decisive and was unable to add to his tally of titles, finishing as the runner up to Lewis Hamilton twice and generally being unable to recapture his earlier dominance.
Vettel's F1 career wins
| Torro Rosso | Red Bull | Ferarri | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasons (full) | 2 (2007-08) | 6 (2009-14) | 5* (2015-2020) |
| World titles | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Race wins | 1 | 38 | 14 |
| Poles | 1 | 44 | 12 |
Like Alonso before him, he couldn’t deliver a title for Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen remains the team’s last champion in 2007. His five season with the Prancing Horse had varying degrees of success, always playing catch-up with Mercedes.
Vettel’s 14 Grands Prix wins made him the third most successful driver for the team and he finished in the top three of the Drivers’ Championship three times, contributing to the team’s Constructors’ classification.
But 14 wins in five, GP-packed seasons was never going to be enough from a driver who had once had a season with 13 race wins (out of 19) with Red Bull in 2013.
Here’s a look at how Vettel’s years at Ferrari panned out.
Vettel's years at Ferarri
| Year | Race wins | Poles | Podiums | Overall position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3 | 1 | 10 | Third |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 7 | Fourth |
| 2017 | 5 | 4 | 8 | Second |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 | 7 | Second |
| 2019 | 1 | 2 | 8 | Fifth |
The partnership started off to a promising start as Vettel was the only non-Mercedes driver to win a race, finishing third among drivers and powering Ferrari to second place in the team standings after they had been fourth in 2014.
In 2016, his graph dipped as he failed to win a single race and finished fourth in the standings.
But 2017 saw a resurgence of sorts for both driver and race as Vettel won five races, including the season-opening Australian Open and didn’t score in only two races, where he had to retire. Both Vettel and Ferrari finished second overall.
In 2018, Vettel got his best shot at winning a potential fifth word title as he led the standings until mid-season. But he could win only race after the summer break as Hamilton and Mercedes mounted the charge to yet another win.
It all went awry after that as 2019 saw newcomer Leclerc become the star for Ferrari, finishing fourth and one spot ahead of the now veteran Vettel who had just one win.
Compare this to his time at Red Bull, where he dominated four straight F1 seasons.
Vettel's years at Red Bull
| Year | Race wins | Poles | Podiums | Overall position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Second |
| 2010 | 5 | 10 | 4 | First |
| 2011 | 11 | 15 | 6 | First |
| 2012 | 5 | 6 | 5 | First |
| 2013 | 13 | 9 | 3 | First |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Fifth |
Of course, the blame can’t all be laid at Vettel’s door, who was initially let down by the car even as Mercedes surged ahead on back of technical advancement and sound planning since F1 changed the engine rules in a bid to be more eco-friendly in 2014.
There will be a lot of “what ifs” as Vettel’s time with Ferarri ends, chief among them questions over the car and the engine. But the sport’s history will remember Mercedes and Hamilton as the legends of this era.
With the 2020 season yet to begin, it remains to be seen if the German can add to his tally in the Ferarri car. But even if he does, it seems unlikely that will make a major difference to his record with the Prancing Horse.