Former F1 driver Martin Brundle believes Sebastian Vettel deliberately underperformed in 2014 to trigger his Red Bull exit clause. Vettel was beaten by a teammate for the first time in his career by newcomer Daniel Ricciardo. Brundle is of the opinion that Vettel purposefully drove badly in a bid to save his value on the F1 market.

Did Sebastian Vettel underperform on purpose?

2014 was a nightmare season for the 4 times World Champion. Vettel was heading into the season as the reigning champion but didn’t do much to actually defend his title. It was also the first season where Formula 1 switched to turbo-hybrid engines, something that the German wasn’t very fond of.

Furthermore, Mark Webber’s retirement in 2013 saw Red Bull replacing him with Daniel Ricciardo. The Aussie was immediately on the pace and fared far better than Vettel on several occasions. Ricciardo ultimately outscored the German driver at the end of the season.

Trending

Daniel Ricciardo To Be Replaced by Liam Lawson After Miami, F1 Pundit Dishes Out Harsh Verdict After Australian’s “Amateur Mistake”

April 17, 2024 11:14 AM EDT

Adrian Newey Hits Out at Climate Activist Lewis Hamilton’s Fuel Protest, Desperate to See V10 Engines Again

April 15, 2024 12:35 PM EDT

Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department Sends F1 Fans Into a Frenzy: “Its a Fernando Reference”

April 19, 2024 09:43 AM EDT

Who are Zhou Guanyu’s Parents? Everything We Know About The Chinese Driver’s Family

April 16, 2024 02:07 PM EDT

Max Verstappen “On Ice” as Return to China Goes Badly for Christian Horner and Co

April 19, 2024 10:58 AM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

At the end of 2014, Sebastian Vettel announced his move to Ferrari for next season. The move caught the F1 world by surprise. In sharp contrast to his last season at Red Bull, Vettel was quick to adapt to the Ferrari. He took a stunning victory in only his second race for the Italian team.

While Vettel did struggle with the RB10 but suggesting he drove badly on purpose is a bit too far-fetched. However, that is the view of current F1 pundit Martin Brundle. Speaking to the F1 magazine, Brundle said:

“I’ve always wondered if he went slowly in 2014 because he needed to trigger his Red Bull exit clause. Whatever, he had to leave, because another year like that with Danny Ricc, and his value would have dropped to almost nothing…”

Difficult times for Seb

“I think that Vettel’s judgment in wheel-to-wheel combat has gone, and that’s critical. He’s always operated on a pretty highly strung level, but these days his default mood is to get angry, forever moaning about backmarkers, and so on, and that’s sad. I remember when he’d turn up with a rucksack, smiling, ready to go – I adored him in those days”

While the 4 times World Champion isn’t in his prime these days, he hasn’t really been able to showcase his racecraft in recent times. This is partially due to an uncompetitive car in the SF90. Vettel was beginning to regain some of his lost form in the latter half of 2019 but reliability issues hampered his progress.

Sebastian’s contract with the Scuderia expires at the end of this year. As a result, the German driver’s next move will play a key role in the driver market.