Sebastian Vettel hasn’t exactly had the best of times in an F1 car recently. After a horror campaign with Ferrari last year, early indications suggest that the German might struggle with his new team Aston Martin as well. His former Red Bull teammate Mark Webber believes that Vettel knows very well that he needs to perform, and perform quickly, because in a sport like F1, patience with drivers is often thin.

While Webber reckons the four-time world champion is happier in his new surroundings than he was at Ferrari, his results will determine his long-term future in the sport.

Webber said, “I think he’d be happier at Aston Martin – certainly be happier there Monday to Friday. But what’s the stopwatch doing? That’s the biggest barometer and he knows that better than anyone.

“Because it doesn’t matter what your name is or your trophy cabinet has been, every year in Formula 1 you’ve got to deliver and he knows that as well. So the next six or seven races are going to be crucial for him.”

The German driver’s newest F1 chapter started off on a really bad note. A five-place grid penalty made an unfortunate Q1 exit in qualifying all the more bitter; and the race did not get any better with Vettel ending up in P15 after a collision with Esteban Ocon.

After a weekend from hell, Webber states that it is all up to Vettel to bounce back from it.

Sebastian Vettel must prevent his opening race woes from determining the season

The Australian is backing his former teammate to use his experience in order to save himself from plunging into further misery.

Webber said, “He’s his toughest critic. He’s going to be really hard on himself. It’s easy for this stuff to snowball out of control. And that’s what his mission has got to be now is to make sure this doesn’t snowball out of control.

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“He’s an extremely old dog in terms of new tricks now. So it’s a lot down to him.”

Having a good race at Imola will be crucial for Vettel. A solid top 8 finish would go a long way in restoring some confidence and belief, plus it would lighten some pressure on him.

Will the four-time world champion turn his season around this weekend? We shall soon find out.

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