Ever since Charles Leclerc joined Ferrari, Vettel looked off-color and the passage of time has only made it worse. The 4-time World Champion eventually lost his seat at Ferrari early this year as the Prancing Stallion decided against renewing his contract. Jacques Villeneuve, former World Champion, believes that Vettel’s dream run with the Scuderia ended when Leclerc joined the team.

Villeneuve was asked whether the story of Vettel and Ferrari should have ended sooner. “It ended when [Ferrari] signed Leclerc,” the Canadian said.

“And it was hard to digest for a four-time World Champion. Let’s take this year 2020: With his experience, he should have been ahead of his teammate but [he is] not.”

Sebastian Vettel lost his form in the 2019 season and is yet to find his mojo. However, it is not just Vettel who is struggling this season, but the entire Ferrari team. Ferrari is experiencing one of its worst seasons in Formula 1 history. Recently, the team revealed that its focus has already shifted to 2022.

Villeneuve also feels that 2021 would be the time for a rebuild. “We’ll talk about winning again in 2022,” said the Canadian. “The next season will be that of rebuilding the future, strong foundations will be laid.”

The team does look strong during the practice sessions with Top-10 finishes. But as the weekend progresses, Ferrari loses its pace and ends up fighting with the lower mid-field teams.

(The above quotes are translated from Italian using Google Translate)

Sebastian Vettel can find the “Mojo” he lost at Ferrari with Aston Martin

As far as Vettel is concerned, he will be relieved that he is moving to Aston Martin, a team that has made a huge leap in performance in a year and is still improving.

Andrew Green, Technical Director at Racing Point, assures that the team will help Vettel get back to his older form. “Conversely, I think we can help Seb as well,” said Green.

“I think he’s not at a great place at the moment in his head. I think he’s lost his mojo a little bit. And I think we are just the best team at turning drivers around and getting them back into their sweet spot.”

Sebastian Vettel will make his move to Aston Martin from the 2021 season, just a season before the regulation changes are set to take place.