Sebastian Vettel felt he lacked support from Ferrari at times but doesn’t regret his five-year stint in red.
2020 will be the German’s final year at the Scuderia after it was confirmed back in May the decision had been taken to part ways with Carlos Sainz later announced as his replacement.
Vettel will leave having failed to achieve his dream of replicating his hero Michael Schumacher by adding a fifth Formula 1 championship to his name.
Instead, it’s more likely the legacy of his time at the Italian team will be remembered more for moments like Singapore 2017, Hockenheim 2018 and Brazil last year.
Even so… “I don’t regret the time I had with Ferrari,” Vettel is quoted by Auto Bild as telling Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper.
“I think that here and there I may not have had the support I needed, wanted or asked for, but overall I always had people around me who were willing to help me both on the track and at Maranello.
“[Former chairman] Mr [Sergio] Marchionne made that promise when he explained to me that they were looking for someone to rebuild the team. I was the candidate then, but not anymore.”
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Vettel’s final year has begun with Ferrari in its worst shape for many years in terms of performance, with the 33-year-old only managing a best finish of sixth in Hungary.
This past weekend at Silverstone also saw Seb struggle tremendously after mechanical issues limiting his running on Friday.
A video posted on F1’s Twitter account then appeared to show Vettel initially ignoring comments by team boss Mattia Binotto before offering a diplomatic response when asked for a radio check.
“A tough race” for Seb at Silverstone on Sunday #BritishGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/oLGyeB0BXu
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 4, 2020
And former Red Bull teammate Mark Webber suggested this was indicative of his current relationship with Ferrari.
“I spoke to him off the air and he told me that he just cannot feel the [Ferrari] car,” he told Channel 4.
“He is lost with it and doesn’t have the trust in it. It’s really light on the rear, so for him, he is really chasing the vehicle.
“The operation within the garage doesn’t give him the confidence he needs to go out there and push the car to the limit.
“We even saw him checking over the car himself [in practice] which is a horrendous situation for a driver to be in.”