It was not very long ago that Sebastian Vettel was cruising past opponents to win races and championships. Now, he looks a former shadow of the greatness and sheen he once displayed.

Most people in the F1 community want to see him back fit and firing again like before. There is a genuine possibility he will do so when he jumps ship to Aston Martin F1 in 2021.

However, Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has revealed that Vettel faced a few problems when ex-teammate Daniel Ricciardo started beating him back in 2014. He also stated that the experienced German would be deep in thought about his compatibility with the car.

Sebastian Vettel will ‘start pondering’ if everything is not right with the car

In an interview, Marko said, “Everything about Sebastian’s car has to be right, otherwise he’ll start pondering. That’s why he had problems with Ricciardo in 2014.” (translated via Google Translate)

Dr. Marko was also clear about the fact that Vettel will certainly be at the top of his game if he is handed the right car. He revealed that back in the golden period for Red Bull, even teammate Mark Webber fell short of matching the dominance Vettel produced.

“If Sebastian is one with a car, he can hardly be beaten. You could clearly see that between 2010 and 2013 when we won four world championships in a row with him and his strong team-mate had no chance against him.” stated Marko. (translated via Google Translate)

“If the Aston Martin with all the Mercedes technology Vettel is cut back in 2021, we could all experience our blue miracle. Of course, I hope that in our own interest not.”

Indeed, his acclimatization with the car configuration is something that has hindered his performance with Ferrari in 2020. Most of his failures have concerned his difficulties adapting to the car’s handling and overall balance.

Can Vettel get the right car with Aston Martin next year?

F1’s regular viewers will have to figure out if Aston Martin can really bring the best out of Vettel. After all, at 33, the next chapter will outline a peak period of sorts for him.

Mercedes will continue to power the Silverstone-based team’s engines next year. This could prove to be a marked improvement from the Ferrari, to start off with.

With winter testing due in a couple of months’ time, the idea would be to design a car just about right for Vettel. In doing so, they just might bring back the ‘vintage Seb.’