When Sebastian Vettel and Scuderia Ferrari announced their split at the end of 2020, many were taken aback. Since then, there has been a lot of shuffling, from Carlos Sainz replacing Vettel, to Daniel Ricciardo replacing Sainz.

Many have added their two-bits on the matter, and tried to predict Vettel’s next move. For the moment, the German is focused on waiting out the coronavirus crisis and finishing his Ferrari contract. What happens beyond that, could create interesting situations for himself and other drivers.

Admittedly, things didn’t always run smoothly between Vettel and Leclerc during their time together. There were several occasions last year where the two got too close for comfort during their squabbles. Leclerc has already established himself within the team as the future team leader, but Vettel will not give up so easily.

To that end, former F1 driver Pastor Maldonado raised an interesting question, ‘will Vettel stick to the rules?’

“Last year we saw problems between the two drivers. Who guarantees they won’t be there this year if Vettel already knows where he’s going?”, he told Marca, “Will Vettel respect the team’s orders? We don’t know. I wouldn’t.”

Is Sebastian Vettel dragging the team down?

If Vettel does indeed go his own way, that may cause some conflict within the team. The 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix was proof that a discordant atmosphere would only be detrimental

Maldonado also states that it can have an influence on the team in a general sense. “That could be a big weakness for the team. It was last year. If this season resumes, it’s going to be a difficult time for both of us. Because the announcement is made, so how are you going to run that way? And, likewise, the team towards the driver. It’s difficult, let’s hope he has a better future.”