Sebastian Vettel has never been the most talkative driver on the radio, particularly during qualifying sessions.
But at Circuit de Catalunya today Vettel, who is enduring a difficult start to his final season at Ferrari, went from merely quiet to completely silent. The 20 messages from race engineer Riccardo Adami went unacknowledged.No requests for set-up tweaks; no feedback on car balance; no questions about where he is gaining or losing lap time relative to his team mate; no thanking ‘the guys’.
How unusual is this? And is it a sign of the growing tensions some perceive between Vettel and the team which told him three months ago his services will not be required next year?
It’s not unprecedented for drivers to stay quiet on the radio. Charles Leclerc said virtually nothing on his way to his first victory in the Belgian Grand Prix last year, although this was in exceptional circumstances.
Vettel doesn’t tend to give a lot of chatter on the radio. But at Silverstone last weekend he did speak occasionally, at the end of some runs and after he was eliminated in Q2. “It was all I had,” he said. “It was all that there was in this car. So, I tried. Thank you.”
Even among drivers who prefer to keep quiet on the radio, they can normally be expected to say a few words at the end of sessions. But Vettel’s preference for silence has become more noticeable recently: He didn’t say a word after taking the chequered flag in 12th place at Silverstone on Sunday. Earlier in the race he complained to his team about his strategy on the radio.
It’s hard not to see Vettel’s increasing reluctance to be heard talking to his team as a symptom of the fracture in their relationship. That is due to become a split at the end of the year, and under the circumstances it’s small wonder some are asking whether it will happen sooner than that.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Sebastian Vettel qualifying radio transcript
Q1 first run | |
To Vettel | Kvyat and Stroll on an out-lap. |
To Vettel | Track is clear in front and behind, you can push. |
To Vettel | Clear from behind. |
To Vettel | Clear from behind and box. |
To Vettel | Still clear from behind. |
Q1 second run | |
To Vettel | Track is clear, you can push. |
To Vettel | K2. Charging. Currently P9. |
To Vettel | And clear from behind. Stay negative. |
Q2 first run | |
To Vettel | Watch your mirror for Ricciardo, timed lap. And Hamilton, let him by. Let Ricciardo by and Hamilton behind. Hamilton four seconds. |
To Vettel | Hamilton in-lap behind. Hamilton in-lap. |
To Vettel | Watch for Bottas he’s boxing in front. |
To Vettel | And clear from behind. |
To Vettel | Stroll timed lap 24 behind. And clear behind Stroll. |
To Vettel | Can open more if you need. Stroll 15 behind, one-five. |
To Vettel | Stroll 12 behind, track is clear, you can push. |
To Vettel | K2 box and clear from behind. |
Don't miss anything new from RaceFans
Follow RaceFans on social media:
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2020 F1 season
- Pictures: Wrecked chassis from Grosjean’s Bahrain fireball crash to go on display
- Bottas vs Rosberg: Hamilton’s Mercedes team mates compared after 78 races each
- F1 revenues fell by $877 million in Covid-struck 2020 season
- Hamilton and Mercedes finally announce new deal for 2021 season
- F1 audience figures “strong” in 2020 despite dip in television viewers
119 comments on “Vettel didn’t say a word to Ferrari on his radio throughout qualifying”
Comments are closed.
George O'Donnell (@georgeod)
15th August 2020, 21:26
Jarno Trulli got fired from Renault after the 2004 Italian Grand Prix where he was silent on the radio for the entire race. Could that happen to Seb?
I hope not. I have so much respect for Sebastian and his ability to drive quickly. Not enjoying to see him struggle this season.
pmr
15th August 2020, 21:49
I can’t shake the feeling Ferrari have a hand in his performance drop. That they want their golden boy to finish ahead no matter the cost.
I now it’s rediculous and that they desperately needs every point the can get, but still.
anon
15th August 2020, 22:15
pmr, that said, the idea of it perhaps also coming down to Vettel’s mental preparation and perhaps reflecting a sense of internal turmoil is one that I wouldn’t completely dismiss out of hand.
We know that, whilst he was at Red Bull, there were times when the team did sometimes engage in activities where the main purpose seems to have been about psychological benefits – Marko stated that, in one year where Vettel went through four chassis changes, at least one of those changes was purely to give Vettel a psychological boost (and that it did seem to work when they tried it).
Vettel has seemed a bit ill at ease within Ferrari for a few years now, with a few signs that things were not entirely right even before Leclerc arrived at the team. You get a sense that he’s not been entirely happy with how things have been working out at Ferrari even before the current deterioration in relations, and on a wider note he’s come across as dissatisfied with some of the wider changes that have been happening to the sport (such as cramming races closer together within the calendar).
Depending on how things may be working out with the current protocols on quarantining people, it may also mean that the amount of personal contact he is having with his family is less than he would normally be having between races. As an individual who has come across as being quite fond of his family, if he is being separated from them for longer than he normally would be, that could be having some negative effects on his mental state as well.
James Cremeri
16th August 2020, 3:44
Then by the same logic you would also have a feeling that the poor relative performance of Mark Webber and Kimi Raikkonen was also due to Red Bull and Ferrari wanting their golden boy (Vettel) finish ahead no matter the cost. Just as we witnessed last season in Australia, Bahrain, China, Singapore to name just a few races.
HBG
16th August 2020, 6:57
I feel like you right, I had the same thought. I feel for Seb.
pete
16th August 2020, 8:14
100% agree. Ferrari have given Vettel compromised equipment so as to justify their decision not to renew his contract.
Terrible behaviour from the Scuderria.
Bruno Verrari
16th August 2020, 8:20
Well, the Swedish broadcaster reports that during his Sauber stint, Charles engine settings differred from Marcus Ericsson’s, allowing him a 0,5s gain just due to the engine settings when it matterred most, to more easily deliver upon Marchionne’s expectations…
Hal
16th August 2020, 8:56
And deliberately leaving the second car out in the blue, starting far away on the grid and loosing a lot of constructor points and the financial incomes that go with it… how does it make any sense, esp for a small team low on budget ? This coming from the Swedish tv defending a Swedish driver that could barely be decent on his good days… come on man… His teammate in Indy never needed that to put him 0,5 sec behind, same for Charles.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
16th August 2020, 9:24
I think it was clear their cars were set up differently at times when Leclerc and Ericsson were team mates. At certain tracks, their speed at the speed traps were significantly different with leclerc always being faster. but this was later in the season.
Maybe not by 0.5 seconds, but I think there is some truth that Leclerc’s car could have had some advantage over Ericsson’s.
baza
16th August 2020, 9:39
4 time world champion deserves more respect, Vettle says it like it’s so maybe they disconnected his mic to stop anymore Snipes at the performance or lack of it….and yes CHARLIE BOY IS OBVIOUSLY GETTING PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT THATS BUSINESS……hope Vettle gets a good seat for 21 if he stays and sticks into them Ferrari let downs.
Rodber
16th August 2020, 11:14
Does explain a lot, thank you @Hal
Jose Lopes da Silva
16th August 2020, 11:23
I don’t think there was any difference between Leclerc’s and Ericsson’s cars. I think Leclerc has been very quick since before F1 and has just continued to be. I also don’t think there was any difference between Webber’s and Vettel’s cars.
Disclaimer: I go from the principle that you must have very solid evidence for that kind of affirmations, because no team has any interest in favouring one driver over another unless there are very clear reasons. While being obvious that Schumacher’s car was more developed that Irvine’s, the Mika Salo stint at Ferrari showed clearly that Irvine simply could not match Schumacher.
Rodber
16th August 2020, 11:17
Sorry that should be thanks @Bruno Verrari
DaveW (@dmw)
15th August 2020, 22:15
I thought it was for losing p2 on the last lap at magny cours?
George O'Donnell (@georgeod)
15th August 2020, 22:36
Not immediately. He lasted 5 rounds after France, including a pole position in Belgium.
Jere (@jerejj)
16th August 2020, 7:41
@georgeod I thought he lost his Renault-drive during that season because of a lack of performance, but I guess it was a bit of both.
glynh (@glynh)
15th August 2020, 21:32
Is it just possible that the radio was broken or not transmitted? Seems strange to not even have a ‘copy’.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
15th August 2020, 21:48
@glynh They have backups they can switch to, you hear them check that kind of thing quite often.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
16th August 2020, 9:19
if only there was a way of replacing results. I’d be silent as well if I was on the mid pack.
DAllein (@)
15th August 2020, 21:49
I think the same
anon
15th August 2020, 22:02
@glynh I agree that it is very odd for there to have been no response from Vettel to at least some of those messages, even if it was just to acknowledge that he’d heard the message.
Now, as Keith notes, normally teams to have a back up transmitter that the drivers can use if the primary one fails – that said, whilst it would be unusual for it to happen, there have been a few occasions where both the primary and back up systems have failed, so it’s not completely impossible he had a radio failure. Mind you, if it was the case that his radio had failed, you would have expected Ferrari to acknowledge that in some way.
I suppose there is the question of whether there might have been an exchange at some point which wasn’t recorded – whilst it is a fair number of messages, is it the complete transcript of conversations between Vettel and his pit wall?
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
16th August 2020, 1:19
I agree. It could have been a problem with his headphones not being turned on or not plugged in correctly. It could also be someone had turned the volume down to zero, meaning that while the transcript shows the pitwall calling him, he wouldn’t have heard anything. Another possible reason is his RT was on the wrong channel, and also there can be dead spots in the coverage, so maybe he had tried to call the pitwall and hadn’t gotten a response.
Douglas Khoza
16th August 2020, 4:51
We will see when they ask him to box won’t we. If he just carries on running we will know the radio not working
Jack (@jackisthestig)
16th August 2020, 6:38
He didn’t say a word during the cool down lap at the British GP when spoken to by Binotto, he only responded to a radio check from his engineer. He did the same again after the second Silverstone race and now complete silence today. He even appeared to say “let it burn” to a fire marshal after he broke down during FP2 last week!
The days of “Grazie Ragazzi” are long gone.
Andre Furtado
15th August 2020, 21:41
Just the same old Ferrari. Treat drivers like garbage on the way out.
Hal
15th August 2020, 22:42
Yeah, or some driver can’t take it it be beaten and need to play victim to justify their form. How childish would it be to say « I’m just not going to answer anymore to them in our next confcall or Teams meeting ». 40 m€ is it ?
GnosticBrian (@gnosticbrian)
15th August 2020, 23:22
Rememember the film ‘Grand Prix’ from more then 50 years ago? Ferrari played games with their lead driver in that film to ‘motivate’ him. One example being his car turning up late for practice.
No one is above Ferrari.
MUKAMA N MBOGO
16th August 2020, 1:28
That’s why they are losing..Briatore was correct
Jvelas
16th August 2020, 1:10
Yeah he beat ferrari twice coming from behind. A loser he is not .
F1oSaurus (@)
16th August 2020, 9:13
They gave him a new chassis.
Blaize Falconberger (@)
15th August 2020, 21:46
He blamed the car for his poor form, they changed the chassis and he was still not very good. I can understand Ferrari not being happy with him. If he was performing he’d not be on his way out. If relationships are deteriorating, it’s Sebs fault, IMO.
pmr
15th August 2020, 21:50
he did improve al lot, in Britain het was 1 sec off Leclerc, now it was only .2 of a second
Steve (@scbriml)
16th August 2020, 9:15
In fact, Vettel’s Q2 time (1:17.168) was less than 1/10s off Leclerc’s Q3 time (1:17.087). Leclerc was among several drivers whose Q3 time was actually slower than their Q2 time.
Kevin
16th August 2020, 3:27
Leclerc qualified P9. Vettel P11. The car sucks, and Ferrari have made it or the setup worse for Vettel. He may have only won 1 race last year, but he was consistently competitive in the top 5. Now he’s fighting to get points almost every week.
GtisBetter (@)
16th August 2020, 7:16
It’s rarely one thing. Most likely both parties have their share.
F1oSaurus (@)
16th August 2020, 9:15
@timeslides Exactly. He tried to blame others for his problems. Now it’s even more clear the problem is behind the steering wheel. What more can he say?
Leclerc had an incredibly poor lap (his own admission) and he was still 2 tenths faster.
DAllein (@)
15th August 2020, 21:52
I would not be reading too much into the silence (I think it was a malfunction or just the problem with feed to viewers),l…
But ever since Ferrari announced Seb is out, I openly wondered here if he could be gone sooner.
I can’t say that after recent races that feeling didn’t grow bigger.
Carlos Medrano (@carlosmedrano)
15th August 2020, 21:53
Karma, now seb knows what marc felt like. Even with team preference Leclerc was still able to beat him at the beginning of last year
Big D
15th August 2020, 23:56
Check your facts! Vettel was leading the 2020 championship until Silverstone
Candyman
19th August 2020, 1:20
Look who’s talking. In the COMPLETED season (which is what matters), while Vettel still was the no.1 driver for Ferrari, he got crushed by Leclerc. That’s the fact!
Ewok
16th August 2020, 4:15
+ 1. Vettle is not a team player (remember Multi 21). Suck it up Vettle, stop sooking.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
15th August 2020, 22:04
If true then this has to be damaging for his performance, either psychologically or for practical reasons. Without all the back and forth of feedback and technical advice between him and his engineer, he has to lose something, otherwise the drivers wouldn’t be doing this the majority of the time.
I was skeptical of any suggestion that Vettel would leave Ferrari before the end of the season, but if the relationship has broken down to the point they aren’t even communicating effectively to maximise their performance, then it no longer seems beyond the realm of possibility.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
15th August 2020, 22:17
I kinda feel awful for him. The guy’s a 4 times champion, moves to his childhood favourite team to emulate his childhood favourite driver and friend but it just never comes together – as usual for Ferrari, really. He then finds himself shuffled out, not even given the choice to stay – just shown the door. Now his car just doesn’t seem to have the pace of the sister car – just as Raikkonen’s once didn’t compared to his, or Raikkonen’s to Alonso’s, or Massa’s to Alonso’s. He must be in an absolutely terrible headspace. I’d hate to see him leave. But you really shouldn’t stay somewhere that hurts you, it’ll break you further. People say that Ferrari should get rid of him because its hurting the team but I think staying might hurt Vettel’s mental state far more.
Rockgod (@rockgod)
16th August 2020, 1:54
@rocketpanda So, between Vettel just being out of form this year and Ferrari sabotaging themselves out of WCC points just to spite Vettel, which one is more likely?
zbs13 (@zbs13)
16th August 2020, 11:43
Very well said.
Adam
16th August 2020, 12:37
Having read books and articles about how Ferrari operate internally. Its absolutely plausible that they are sabotaging Vettel. I imagine he is in a awful headspace also which will be affecting his driving, but Ferrari shooting themselves in the foot? Its a very Ferrari thing to do.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
15th August 2020, 22:21
Radio silence only when the car is on track or in the garage as well? Could it be simply that Vettel talked to his race engineer after each run in person (which would be very odd)?
racerdude7730 (@racerdude7730)
15th August 2020, 22:22
I try not to be a conspiracy guy but from what I’m seeing I feel like Ferrari might be the reason for seb being so bad. I’m sure his hearts not in it either but this is just odd. He should prob just leave now if he knows stuff is up. Let’s see alonso and seb on the same team next year. Really I’d love to see him in Indycar but I know that will never happen
Rockgod (@rockgod)
16th August 2020, 1:58
@racerdude7730 I see three possibilities:
1. Car is awful: Being a 4-time WDC, Vettel not even talking to his team is incredibly unprofessional
2. Vettel is out of form: Keep trying to blame the team and the car is also unprofessional
3. All of the above
Ronny
15th August 2020, 22:24
Just Switch Vettel with another driver. Former Ferrari Reserve Driver Kvyat is willing. And team boss Franz Tost would welcome him back to his old team.
Duncan Idaho (@didaho)
16th August 2020, 1:43
Fred will be available after Indy. Seb might have found out that the teams are talking seriously about musical chairs.
I’d say Maclaren is ok with it – hard to say which way Renault might go. Upsides for them – a pretty good way to benchmark Alonso in a known car and get the team settled in before next year. It might depend on WDC position risk (could actually be higher risk if RP lose more points In the appeal).
Jere (@jerejj)
16th August 2020, 7:44
@didaho Renault probably wouldn’t let him temporarily join Ferrari.
miro
16th August 2020, 8:33
I think that idea was
alonso to renault
sainz to ferrari
vettel out
bob
18th August 2020, 9:04
+ Ric to Mac
Jere (@jerejj)
16th August 2020, 7:45
@Ronny There’s Pascal Wehrlein within the team in a simulator role.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
15th August 2020, 22:29
This is the old Italian way. Every incoming driver is the second incarnation of Christ. Outgoing? Worse than Vettel.
daryl martis
16th August 2020, 3:06
they don’t pay him 40millie a year to be silent and hard to work with. he’s acting like a big baby, not a professional.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
15th August 2020, 22:44
Vettel is weak. He let things that he knew already broken beyond repair to affected his mood even more. He should started to question more and tried to blame his team on the radio.
If Vettel thinks silent is the way to maintain his selling value for other team, he’s dead wrong.
Duncan Idaho (@didaho)
16th August 2020, 2:02
At the time you want him to do PR, he’s trying and failing to match his team-mate’s lap times. Clearly he suspects the car and add to that losing against half the rest of the field and Alonso-groundhog Day prospects.
That’s what we actually know – my guess it’s because early exit has been discussed seriously at least since he sat in Otmar’s car.
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
16th August 2020, 7:59
Unless Vettel wants to completely switch off from F1, it is not beneficial to be overly critical of anyone at the moment if he wants a drive next year.
Bruno Verrari
16th August 2020, 8:29
You’re very much right about the fact that weak drivers typically become multiple World Driver Champs…is that four-time, you say?!
zbs13 (@zbs13)
16th August 2020, 11:54
That 4 times WDC argument is used a lot here, but frankly many people don’t get it that it is completely irrelevant. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The reality of life is that Vettel’s best years are behind him and he is no longer WDC material. Sad but true.
Candyman
19th August 2020, 1:25
Also lets not forget the fact he had by far the best car on the grid. It was either him or Webber to win the Championship. And Webber was just the worse driver of the two.
Having the best car by far in F1, is very important. Look at Brawn GP. Look at Mercedes the last 7 years. You just can’t lose.
t1redmonkey (@t1redmonkey)
15th August 2020, 22:46
i thought last year that seb really needed to just take a year off from racing (not just F1) because it already felt then that he was shot, mentally. i think he’s just making it worse on himself now by staying on at Ferrari. just needs to take some time out, have a proper think about what he wants to do and get himself in the right state of mind, and then do whatever it is he chooses with 100% focus and passion.
ben
15th August 2020, 22:51
Vettel has 30 million reasons to use the radio and communicate with the team and do his job just like any other year.
His employment contract was always through 2020. That has not changed. He needs to do the job.
It’s as simple as that.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
16th August 2020, 1:39
I agree. For a professional driver he is exceptionally well paid. Unfortunately sometimes people forget they are only worth what someone is prepared to pay and think they are worth more. It is easier to justify your pay when you “tick all the boxes” than when you don’t.
If Sebastian is prepared to accept a pay cut then he could probably find a seat for next year, but feeling sorry for yourself won’t make it easier to get a good seat.
Chaitanya
16th August 2020, 6:16
The amount he earns annually most of the folk wont be earning in entire lifetime of hard work. So he should just do his job regardless of his feeling towards the team. And slacking on job with person earning is salary is inexcusable. Alonso, Massa, Kimi, etc.. in their last year perfomed to best of their abilities.
kuvemar
15th August 2020, 23:10
It’s just childish at this point. But let’s be honest, that’s exactly what was expected from the guy who always throws a tantrum and blames everyone but himself for anything that goes wrong. He has issues.
Omar R (@)
16th August 2020, 0:31
…or you want to see it that way. Many times we have heard Vettel acknowledging a fault.
F1oSaurus (@)
16th August 2020, 9:19
@omarr-pepper Yeah many times he acknowledges the fault is with someone else. In rare instances he does the PR thing where he accepts a bit of blame afterwards
NICOLAS A SIMON
16th August 2020, 2:48
Kuvemar, I think you’re talking about Grosjean not Vettel. It’s entirely plausible that Ferrari is the cause of all of this drama, it’s not like it hasn’t happened before with other great drivers. Ferrari doesn’t want to appear weak and if they already know they aren’t championship contenders, why not sabotage Vettel and make it appear to be primarily his fault, after all he’s already on the way out.
Scott (@scott6428)
15th August 2020, 23:11
Well it’s just speculation but perhaps he was told prior to not be so negative on the radio and he’s in a ‘ don’t say anything or I will be seen as complaining ‘ kinda mood. Or something like that.
MEGATRON M12 (@megatron)
15th August 2020, 23:26
So many excuses made for this fraud it is unbelievable. He was never that good. Riccardo proved it and si did LEC. Look how the clown rants at the team after spinning on lap1.
The Skeptic (@)
16th August 2020, 2:46
This “clown” (as you call him) was absolutely dominant from 2010-13 – and for at least two of those years his car was only marginally better than the McLaren/Ferrari.
He is the only non_Mercedes who was really able to take the fight to Hamilton in the hybrid era to date, and even get in front for the WDC for part of 2018.
He was clearly a cut above Webber, and was (at the time) renowned for his feel for the instantly degradable tyres that F1 uses (praise that is now given to Verstappen).
Some people are very critical of his mistakes, even while overlooking the mistakes of others. They forget that Leclerc planted the Ferrari into a wall at Baku last year, or crashed at of the race in Germany in the wet. Even Hamilton and Bottas made massive mistakes in that race! Hamilton also messed up the first race in Austria this year – which gave Bottas the opportunity to get ahead right at the start.
I hope that Seb keeps his chin up, and that he comes good in the race tomorrow. Maybe being able to start on the Medium’s will lead to a good race strategy…. and he might even be able to leap frog a few of the others ahead of him.
Richard C (@rich156)
16th August 2020, 3:43
He’s always appeared to enjoy a petulant hissy-fit and, occasionally, road-rage against teammates, other competitors, race officials. When a driver is winning these traits are often indulged so as not to upset the diva’s apple cart. Seb is not winning. Thus, this current sequence of events is unsurprising as the apples have been festering for a while.
James Cremeri
16th August 2020, 4:01
@theskeptic
“absolutely dominant” from 2010-2013. 2011 and 2013 yes. However in 2010 Mark Webber was denied the title due to Red Bull. And arguably in 2009 as well. In 2009, 2010, 2012 Webber was the favourite for the title at about the 2/3 mark of the season. And in all those seasons there were all sorts of bizarre problems which ended up derailing his title chances. If Webber enjoyed the No.1 status that Vettel enjoyed, and Vettel was given the No.2 status that Webber had, then Webber would have been at least a 2 time world champion and possibly even a 5 time world champion.
I would say at the moment that Vettel due to not enjoying the No.1 status that he has always enjoyed and knowing that there will be people in the team making things difficult for him no matter how fast he is, has mentally checked out. Exactly what happened to Webber in 2013 after the Multi-21 incident. Unfortunately as much as I like Vettel, he deserves all this nasty treatment in spades, he has been arguably the most selfish driver in the history of f1.
Frosty
16th August 2020, 9:27
@theskeptic
Vettels red bull wasn’t marginally better. In turn 12 of Montmelo he was accelerating out of the corner 30 yards before any other car…. multiply that by 15 turns… I repeat it was not marginally better. It was in another league for downforce
anon
16th August 2020, 11:19
@theskeptic I think that part of the reason why people are prepared to give Leclerc more benefit of the doubt is the relative difference in experience, with an expectation that a driver on a steep learning curve at the start of the career will be more prone to occasional mistakes than the third most experienced driver on the grid (only Hamilton and Raikkonen have started more races than Vettel).
At the time that Leclerc crashed during the 2019 Baku GP, he was into his 25th race in F1 – Vettel was into his 210th GP when he crashed at the 2018 German GP.
MEGATRON M12 (@megatron)
16th August 2020, 12:32
Excuses after excuses, he is trash, always has been. Threw away any chance at the championship in 09 with so many crashes and mistakes. Tried to throw it away with a dominant car in 2010, tried to throw it away again in 2012 with more mistakes. The only reason it was close in 10 and 12 was because he made so many mistakes.
Big daddy
16th August 2020, 3:43
Ricciardo???
Lol…if vettel is a fraud, so is Daniel who struggles to appear even mediocre since running away like a coward, from competing with Max.
He couldn’t steal a race if his life depended on it.
Even Gasly has had more podiums than him in recent times.
Daniel is more similar to vettel than he thinks. Both, overestimate themselves and can’t embrace challenges.
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
16th August 2020, 8:01
That clown you talk about is a 4 times world champion and has won races in 3 different teams.
Steve (@scbriml)
16th August 2020, 9:20
Nobody wins four WDCs without being a rather good driver.
F1oSaurus (@)
16th August 2020, 9:21
@megatron Lol yeah he even suggested he was hit from behind.
Thecollaroyboys (@thecollaroyboys)
15th August 2020, 23:42
Armchair psychologist here: Seb showed his utter frustration when he drive into Lewis at Baku (for which he should have been disqualified IMO). I think the problem started with Seb’s mindset last year and Ferrari gave up on his tantrums more recently compounding the breakdown in the relationship.
That’ll be $250, I’ll see you next week.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
16th August 2020, 8:10
@thecollaroyboys I would suggest you offer your psychology services to Seb, he can afford the $250.00, I just doubt you’d get very far if he just sits there in silence refusing to acknowledge anything you say.
Big D
15th August 2020, 23:49
Vettel is crap has been for years.wrror prone should have gone in 2014
kivanc_k
15th August 2020, 23:50
It should be a radio transmission problem. I believe it is. Otherwise, it is a disaster and unprofessional and childish.
Big D
15th August 2020, 23:51
I heard prost is coming back.driving for Minardi next year
Fred
16th August 2020, 0:01
This is just like Vets last year with Red Bull.
Maybe its a performance clause hes trying to meet to get away with a certain payoff?
falken (@falken)
16th August 2020, 9:53
Or the reverse. He knows the car cannot meet a certain level, allowing the team to replace him more freely
Salty (@salty)
16th August 2020, 0:09
It’s a shame. Seb has had a fabulous career. 4 WDCs! Yes, the team (Newey) was untouchable those years, but he was the winning pilot each time. Ferrari not offering him a contract for next year should be no surprise. He has dropped the reins of his red pony too many times when under pressure. Racing Point are not going to produce a season clinching upgrade for the car for 2021, and Seb doesn’t need the money, one would hope. Time to go.
magon4 (@magon4)
16th August 2020, 11:41
the team wasn’t untouchable those years…
MEGATRON M12 (@megatron)
16th August 2020, 12:35
Yes they were, it was only ever close because Vettel made so many mistakes, especially in 10 and 12
Darryn Smith (@darryn)
16th August 2020, 0:12
Who’s the cucumber now? So glad he is getting exactly what he deserves.
Rob
16th August 2020, 0:19
Maybe he’s just trying to take it chilled before retiring and living a much better and relaxing life.
Leroy (@g-funk)
16th August 2020, 0:35
If the relationship has deteriorated where Seb is no longer communicating when Ferrari expect him to be communicating, and it’s unclear if that is the case right now, I suspect they’ll announce a driver change at the second Italian GP to take place after the German GP. That will give the Italian press something to write about other than Ferrari poor car performance and will give Seb a swan song race in his home Grand Prix.
Bulgarian (@bulgarian)
16th August 2020, 1:59
That would be the best solution for all parties! Ferrari will not inform Vettel about upgrades for 2021 car; Vettel will not want to be totally demolished by Leclerc this season, but it will happen if he stays until the end of the season; Ferrari will be able to test some other driver in the final races of this season before making a decision how good/valuable that driver is for them in the future.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
16th August 2020, 1:05
Very unprofessional.
Or he simply is focussing extra hard on beating
Charles. It is Vettel not coming to terms with Charles truly being faster than him.
jamt
16th August 2020, 3:47
We have news about someone who say nothing, but I did not read any news about another one who said that rivals were cheating with tyres pressure?
Bias?
ian dearing
16th August 2020, 8:35
One, you should read racefans closer. Some did mention it on here.
Two. Ham never said anyone was cheating.
Three. The majority of F1 fans know the rules on tyre pressures and how heat affects those pressure. So to them it was a non-story. Of course the RB tyres were at a lower pressure, We could see it with our own eyes. The Mercs tyres were being worked to destruction, whilst the RBs looked new. The Mercs were obviously hotter, so therefore a higher pressure. The only one who didnt get a close up of the RB tyres was Ham. Hence ‘lower tyre pressures or something’. A quick glance at the timings on the thread above will show that the Mercs are one of the slowest through the speed traps (straight),so obviously faster around the corners as they topped all the timing sheets. Hence working their tyres harder through the corners, hence higher pressures.
Johns
16th August 2020, 4:22
I wish Seb the best of luck and happiness. So he could not take Ferrari to WDC, so what. I still enjoyed his racecraft. Best of luck Seb. And if you want to leave early, no hard feelings, thanks for the memories.
LANDOOO#4
16th August 2020, 9:03
+1
David (@add9)
16th August 2020, 7:04
He was supposedly already signed for RP before Checo tested positive so they “delayed” the announcement out of respect but maybe just maybe Racing Point have cooled on the idea of bringing him in so the reality is he is out of F1. Otmar is still not dismissing the Seb talk but right now he would be a very very expensive brand ambassador for a car company trying to save itself by building hulking SUV’s!
That would likely affect anybody…
Can’t be often that a multiple world champion is shoved out of the sport in such a way if it does transpire like that.
David Bondo
16th August 2020, 8:32
I like Vettel and felt like he was unfairly criticised in the RBR years. He destroyed Webber fair and square. He dominated races in 2011 and the second half of 2013 in a way Hamilton rarely has over Bottas/Rosberg despite a much bigger car advantage over the field.
He’s had some sensational races and made incredible passes during the Ferrari era (2017 Spain springs to mind, holding off Bottas in Bahrain 2018).
But if you go through his career he does have periods of inconsistency and makes silly errors.
I was thinking it might have something to do with the hybrid era cars, but go back to the first half of 2012 he was ordinary. Abu Dhabi made an error under safety car that necessitated an extra pit stop. Even in Brazil that year, I thought it was Senna’s fault the first lap incident (I felt like he was almost looking to hit Vettel) but Vettel shouldn’t have been taking the apex as he did with so much on the line. Very lucky to continue in that race.
F1oSaurus (@)
16th August 2020, 9:25
Not fair and square. It was very close during 2009 and 2010. After that Red Bull decided to throw everythignj behind Vettel and make Webber the #2 driver. You could see Webber drop back by a few tenths the next seasons. Plus his car issues never got fixed. His ERS never worked for instance.
David Bondo
16th August 2020, 13:08
Vettel was still a very inexperienced driver when he went to RBR. It’s more a case of Vettel improving than Vettel being favoured.
Webber had every chance to win the championship in 2010 but bottled in Korea with an error.
Vettel was clutch in those final races of 2010. Webber and Alonso cracked under pressure.
Tim Lemmens
16th August 2020, 13:33
Well in 2009 race results, Vettel beat Webber 6 to 4 and was ahead when he crashed in Australia and Malaysia with quite some margin, he was also ahead in Valencia and Hungary when the car failed. So, yeah he was quicker then Webber.
In 2010 he won the racebattle 10 – 5 against Webber and was ahead when his car failed in Melbourne and Korea, he was overtaking Webber in Turkey and would have been ahead of Webber in Hungary had it not been for a Safety Car.
In qualifying in 2009 it was 17 – 2 and it was 12 – 7 in 2010, both times in favour of Vettel. So no, it was never close on pace. Webber got close because Vettel made some mistakes. As it was only his second and third full season, it’s not that strange. Look at Hamilton’s 2nd full season for example.
Vettel was plain faster.
chimaera2003 (@chimaera2003)
16th August 2020, 8:58
Looks to me that Seb has re-read his contract and decided to “work-to-rule” and only doing the absolute bare minimum as explicitly stated in the contract. For example acknowledging radio messages may not be written in the contract so he has determined he can not do it and not be in breach.
It is clear that both parties want to move on, however there is a multi-million dollar elephant in the room that both parties want the other party to address first.
As long as Seb meets his contractual obligations, he will hold the upper hand in this battle of wills but I bet that if he misses something Ferrari will be all over this to force a cut-price dismissal so they can move on.
The reasons why we are here in the first place are myriad and complex with blame on both sides.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
16th August 2020, 9:44
I don’t believe that a good driver can suddenly lose his ability to drive.
To me, there has to be some characteristic of their car that does not suit Seb at all but suits Charles – I’d also suggest that despite Seb asking them to change something to make it more driveable for him, they’re refusing.
It’s similar situation at RBR where the characteristics of the car are pretty specific for Max’s style – Albon is struggling big time (much more than last year) with it and I think it’s pretty much the same at Ferrari.
Seb isn’t saying anything, probably because it’s already been said and is not worth him saying any more.
OOliver
16th August 2020, 10:43
A combination of factors.
The car’s characteristics.
His psychological state.
Ferrari’s general indifference.
Let’s be honest, Leclerc is a very fast driver and possible a few tenths faster than Vettel on most tracks. But Vettel is not that ordinary or average. A factor affecting Vettel is that he is now over driving the car because he’s now under a lot of pressure.
But since he is no longer their priority, they don’t expend much energy to address his issues.
Very sad turn of events in that team but not uncommon.
falken (@falken)
16th August 2020, 9:56
He’s been slow ever since getting a family to think about.
Always seems to be the way.
Fast driver’s are single.
Kiran Nesarajah (@nesarajah)
16th August 2020, 10:14
Can Ferrari just replace him with Hulkenberg for the rest of 2020?
Dear Mattia or Ferrari mgmt in the off chance you are reading this. Please for the sake of the Tifosi worldwide man, replace this guy.
No driver is bigger than Ferrari.
Witan
16th August 2020, 10:39
Ferrari staff management has always been poor, motivating by fear rather than enthusiasm or team dynamism.
Sacking a driver out of the blue a season ahead was the most crass example for years. Quite unnecessary and impossible to justify. The result is a demotivated if not massively depressed driver in a terrible car which together is further demotivating the whole of his side of the garage – and that is infectious. When couple with other managerial bloopers it is creating a downward spiral which is affecting the team overall. A team with a leader who hasn’t much idea of management or respect for the intelligence of the fans with his pronouncements about the driver and transparency, backed by a MD of Ferrari who thinks being tough is enough.
It is quite amazing that all those highly paid people at the top of Ferrari and its parent could not see what was coming. Did they act on whim or simply think a mafiosi style sacking would be helpful to keep Vettel in line? Whichever, it demonstrates a startling incompetence.
Ferrari will be getting less money in future with the new financial arrangements, and their current performance will deliver less prize money from a pot which will be reduced from previous years while the parent car company is bleeding cash.
One way and another the Scuderia are in big trouble.
Phil-F1-21
16th August 2020, 11:26
If Seb is deliberately not replying or acknowledging messages this does seem quite unprofessional. We are still quite early in the season so Seb and the team need to sit down together and sort this out.
It is hardly likely to endear him to any future employer either, especially with his driving form appearing to be so bad. Of course this is not all his fault.
Maybe the truth is that he realises he does not have much of a future in F1 and Ferrari are not responding to his concerns either.
Rafael (@rafael-o)
16th August 2020, 11:55
Much respect for the guy, and his accomplishment of winning 4 championships in a row; but with the way he’s driving (and acting) so far this season, he doesn’t need (deserve) another drive for next year — he needs to retire.
Vettel’s current form and demeanor reminds me a lot of Damon Hill in 1999, when the 1996 champion was just exhausted and out of it; just driving rather than racing.
This latest fallout with another World Champion is a reminder of how inherently toxic Ferrari is (started in 2006, when di Montezemolo pushed Schumacher off in favor of Raikkonen). But at the end of the day, Vettel’s unwillingness to stop his downward spiral only damages his reputation far more than the Prancing Horse’s (especially when Leclerc in the other car, is able to squeeze out results from his sub-par machinery). And it only further strengthens the criticism against him (Vettel) that he’s a one-dimensional driver; where his ability to be consistently competitive was limited to just one kind of generation of cars (2009-2013).
Adam (@rocketpanda)
16th August 2020, 12:53
Reading some of these comments just make me think people just enjoy tearing Vettel down. There’s been little made of the mental state of someone being told they’re out of a job – let alone one they loved with no ability to argue or appeal, being forced to go through that publically and has to see out the year with people he knows don’t want him there anymore. Does anyone like working their notice period when they’re sacked? Mentally its a horrible situation to be in and he’s stuck doing it for a year, on a platform where he’s asked repeatedly about it and having that humiliation beamed into people’s houses. Like him or loathe him but really I’d admire anyone’s emotional state to be top of their game in that.
And then people defending Ferrari. Ferrari! Known to be directly toxic to their employees let alone everyone else and people ‘can’t imagine’ them shooting themselves in the foot? It’s admirable when they manage to miss putting a bullet in their toes.
Redbulldenny
16th August 2020, 18:09
Best comment yet Adam.
Ferrari’s stratagey sucks, Ferrari’s arrogance sucks. Ha, and I have been a Ferrari fan. Racing drivers arrogance sucks, but you will find most top drivers are arragant ,it’s kind a of necessary thing to drive them to the top. So, it kinda comes with the proverbial territory. But most of these keyboard racers have no idea (I’m a retired amateur racer) what it’s like to try push a car to the front that just doesn’t want to go there.
John H (@john-h)
16th August 2020, 14:09
Kimi incoming
Dave
16th August 2020, 14:15
“You bloody noobs. You bloody noobs!”