Ross Brawn, Formula 1’s managing director of motorsport, believes Sebastian Vettel has been “the key” in Ferrari’s upturn in form this season.
The German has always been seen to have made a significant impact since he joined Ferrari, initially being praised for giving the Scuderia a much-needed boost after he won three times in 2015.
However, last year, the team seemed to fall back into the old pattern, dropping to third behind Red Bull and there was a growing unease between Vettel and team boss Maurizio Arrivabene.
“The last few years for Ferrari have not been easy,” Brawn, who was part of the highly successful era with Michael Schumacher between 2000-2004 commented at the time.
“But I think the crucial thing for them is stability. There are really good people in the team, who need the right support and the right philosophy.”
And now, Brawn believes Vettel is doing just that, offering the right support to a philosophy that has allowed Ferrari to optimise the 2017 rule changes and fight Mercedes at the front.
“What Sebastian is doing in the red car is great advertising for Formula 1,” he told Germany’s Sport Bild.
“Most fans want to see a successful Ferrari team, and Sebastian is the key to it.”
On a similar tone, the four-time champion was asked in Barcelona whether he believed operational changes within the Italian team was the main reason for their improved performance.
“I think we are in obviously in a much better position than in previous years but it is still fairly early,” he replied.
“Then again, if you look to the last 10 years, it’s not anymore that fixed state where you bring a new car [and that’s it], the top teams bring stuff nearly every race so, I don’t know how to answer your question.
“I don’t feel it’s like that (the changes), Mercedes have had a phenomenal run the last couple of years and are still the ones to beat. If you look race by race and overall, they’ve been the dominant team and it’s difficult to break that but we are trying our best.”