F1 News
Ross Brawn: Sebastian Vettel “experiencing what he felt" in final Red Bull year
Managing director of Formula 1 Ross Brawn has said that Sebastian Vettel is “experiencing what he felt” in his final year at Red Bull in 2014 from Daniel Ricciardo with Ferrari in 2019 after the arrival Charles Leclerc.
Back in 2014 Vettel had been the best driver over the previous four years, winning four World Championships in a row, while teammate Mark Webber retired.
Up stepped a young Ricciardo from Toro Rosso to Red Bull at the start of the hybrid era, winning three races during 2014 and finishing third in the championship on 238 points while Vettel struggled and finished fifth with 167 points.
The German left for Ferrari in 2015 finding some success but not on the level of Mercedes and four years later he finds himself being out performed by a younger driver in Leclerc once again.
Leclerc has taken back to back victories in Spa and Monza and out qualified Vettel in the past seven races, while the German made a vital mistake in Italy out of nowhere, ruining his race.
Brawn said as quoted by MotorsportWeek: "To a certain extent, Sebastian is experiencing what he felt at Red Bull in his final year there, in 2014, when he found himself up against Daniel Ricciardo, a youngster setting incredible pace.
"What happened in the race was down to him alone. It's an unavoidable fact that no matter who the driver is and regardless of how good things are in the team, your first rival is always your team-mate."
Brawn believes that he needs support from Ferrari to help him return to his winning ways, alongside pushing to develop their car for next year.
"Vettel is clearly one of the greats of our sport, but at this tough time he really needs the support of the team to regain the confidence he seems to be lacking at the moment," he added.
"That, as well as pushing on with the car development, has to be a priority for [team principal] Mattia Binotto in the coming weeks. It won't be easy, but it is essential especially in terms of 2020."
