Ferrari is indeed one of the most iconic brands in Formula 1. However, the team has a history of ending relationships with its star drivers in an unpleasant way more often than not. Whether it was the firing of Alain Prost in 1991 or Michael Schumacher’s retirement in 2006 brought upon by the tension with Ferrari’s top management or even Fernando Alonso‘s criticism of the team leading to his departure- Ferrari seems to strain its relationships with the drivers beyond repair. And the same was true for Sebastian Vettel, who became the latest in a long line of drivers who stopped seeing eye to eye with the team.

The relationship between Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari began showing cracks even before he officially joined the team. When Vettel signed with Ferrari, the man who recruited him, Montezemolo, had already left due to corporate politics. He was replaced by Marchionne, a businessman unfamiliar with F1. Marchionne inherited Vettel and the expectations that came with him, but the pressure was on for the German to perform.

From the outset, there seemed to be a lack of mutual trust between Vettel and the team. Despite assuming a leadership role within the team, Vettel’s rapport with Ferrari never reached the same level of confidence seen with previous drivers like Alonso. When Vettel attempted to lead a few changes within the team, Maurizio Arrivabene, a close associate of Marchionne, publicly advised Vettel to focus solely on driving rather than involving himself in team matters.

The only way for Vettel and Ferrari to save their relationship could have been a world championship, especially considering Ferrari’s competitive cars in 2017 and 2018. However, reliability issues and operational dramas ruined Ferrari’s campaign, coupled with Vettel’s own errors under pressure. Despite all the tension, it can’t be overlooked that Vettel was the third most successful driver with the Scuderia with 14 wins under his belt for the Maranello squad. However, the team didn’t even offer him a contract during his last season in 2020, while giving Charles Leclerc a five-year extension mere months before.

Now as Sebastian Vettel is finally returning to the racing scene in the WEC with Porsche, Italian journalist, Leo Turrini looks back at Vettel’s time with the Scuderia and how he was treated by the team. In his recent report on quotidiano.net, Turrini wrote, “In general, I believe that Ferrari’s Vettel was treated ungenerously. He gave his best, he did what he could. Of course, he made mistakes, but if you look at his absolute numbers in Red, well, he realizes that few have done better. The world title was missed and it’s not a detail. But Seb was in Maranello in an era technologically dominated by Mercedes. And this, in judgment, is often ignored.“

It’s no secret that Michael Schumacher is a hero of Vettel’s and he wanted to repeat his heroics by winning a championship for the red team. But how does the German driver reflect on his time with the Scuderia?

Sebastian Vettel looks back at his time with Ferrari as a failure.

At the end of the 2020 season, Sebastian Vettel opened up about his time with Ferrari, expressing a sentiment of disappointment. Despite spending six years with the iconic team and securing 14 race victories, Vettel admitted to feeling like his stint was a “failure.“

When asked if he took any consolation in being the 3rd most successful driver with the team in terms of race wins, Vettel said, as quoted by ESPN, “It still doesn’t change anything. We still failed. We had the ambition and target to win the championship, and we didn’t. I think it’s just an honest reflection. I don’t think saying it out loud changes anything.”

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How will Lewis Hamilton fare at Ferrari? Do you think he will suffer the same fate as some of the other drivers we looked at? Share your insights in the comments down below.

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