Soon after it was announced that Ferrari were axing Sebastian Vettel for the 2021 season, the wish of every F1 fan was to see the German partner Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.

What a glorious fight that would have been to watch. But those fantasies didn’t last long. Mercedes decided to stick with Bottas for the next season, leaving Vettel’s future beyond 2020 up in the air.

Had things turned out differently a little over a decade ago, we very well have seen Hamilton and Vettel in the same, all-conquering, Mercedes car.

The former Mercedes Motorsport Director Norbert Haug revealed that he tried to sign the German when he was still at Toro Rosso.

Haug said, (translated by Google) “I negotiated with Sebastian when he was at Toro Rosso. Who knows how Formula 1 history would have developed if we had come to an agreement back then.

“But in the top league of Formula 1 everyone negotiates with everyone at some point. Those who do not admit that keep it to themselves. But it’s true.”

While we would have loved to see the two drive the best car on the grid, Vettel wouldn’t begrudge that decision. After all, moving to Red Bull led to him winning 4 consecutive Drivers’ Championships.

Haug advises Sebastian Vettel on how to improve his performances

Vettel has had a dismal season, by his lofty standards, thus far. 16 points from 6 races make Vettel’s predicament painstakingly obvious.

He has been regularly outshone by his younger teammate, Charles Leclerc. While it may seem like they drive two very different machines, Vettel knows that he needs to up his performances.

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In order to do so, Haug advises Vettel to “Brake late, accelerate early, and don’t fly out of the curve.”

Furthermore, he said, “Seriously, Sebastian absolutely has to show that he has his fast and talented teammate under control or is at least his equal. Those who are regularly left behind by their teammates are second choice in Formula 1.”

The 4-times title winner is under a serious amount of pressure at the moment. He did have an improved showing in Barcelona, but that was more down to his risky strategy than to outright race pace.

Can he get out of this rut as the F1 circus heads to Spa? Only time will tell.