Possibly, but Vettel wasn't weak mentally when he won 4 titles at Red Bull. I keep saying that Ferrari is a tough environment.
Even a driver like Schekter won a title with Ferrari. Of course pressure and politics are immense inside the team but Ferrari could not be guilty for everything no ?
Stereotypes are not 100% correct, but tend to reflect the character of the majority in a nation. Don't you know that "the leopard cannot change its spots" ? It's not all negative either; Italians are very artistic for example. It's in their DNA. I am sure they have other qualities.
Scott Speed in the 2nd AM Everybody is happy: Lance, Papa Moll and Liberty who desperately want a US driver
Herta as he has voiced his interest. Certainly that might aid marketing for Aston in the US market. There are many possibilities here. The Silly Season has truly begun
Championship contending car yes, but not the fastest. Even on the odd day it was the fastest, it was very marginal. Races that Ferrari was losing or going to lose on insane strategies, Vettel did win on either his strategy or skill. He messed up as well, true, but IMO the slim chance they had winning a title just became smaller... The weight he carried on his shoulders especially after Marchionne died, was immense. Not a fan of some of his agenda's but at Red Bull and his early years at Ferrari he was a joy to watch, always such a nice person.
Of course not the fastest cars but two pretty good ones. Singapore 2017 and Baku 2017 were inexcusable. My main grief about him was his lack of honesty about his mental weaknesse and the way he didn’t really decided to fix this. Truth is Red Bull cars from 2010 to 2013 were better car than we thought first. Webber a weak teammate either.
I agree. He left a competitive team and car, for a Team that is notorious for eating its own. However I've always liked Vettel he's an actually nice guy, and I wish him well. I think Ferrari took him to the end of his talents, and he's come to the hard reality that his best days were behind him. that is hard for anyone.
100% accurate. Ferrari has always been about one thing - Ferrari. the driver is sometimes 3rd or lower in the importance. there have been few if any drivers who have really gelled with Ferrari for the long haul. most have either died while in service to Ferrari or left under a cloud: died: Ascari Hawthorne Bandini Villeneuve Portago Collins von Trips Left under bad feelings of some sort or were shoved out: Fangio Surtees Amon Lauda Reggazonni Mansell Prost Cappelli Vettel Schumacher Riakkonnen - unique as he came back and retired. Alonso - leaves every team a mess. Phill Hill Barichello Arnoux Alboreato Shelby Only drivers to leave under good terms - meaning no ill will, not fired - just left to another team or retired. Scheckter Reutemann Berger Johannsen Alesi Ervine Ickx Andretti - raced for them several times - last F-1 race was with a Ferrari .... Only driver to leave Ferrari racing - and still continue on with them in a positive manner: Luigi Chinetti I'm pulling from memory - so sure I left a few off...
He goes out like a true gentleman. He could have hung on to a seat for a couple more years and made a huge amount of money. This way he opens a seat for (hopefully) a younger and hungrier talent. I believe him when he says he wants to spend more time with his wife and children- the F1 schedule has to be grueling for the drivers and the staff. I had hoped he would win a title with Ferrari but as William and others have stated that is a difficult environment and not for every driver. I also believe that Mick has benefited from his mentorship and advise. I wish him well.
I agree Ferrari are not guilty of everything. that is correct. However, taking a 4 x world champion, and after 4 more years he's a shadow of himself? the car is not to his liking etc and the pressure to perform etc... at Red Bull - he was theirs, he had full support from the owner on down... at Ferrari you are just a part of the greater good for Ferrari.
I don't fault Vettel for ultimately cracking at Ferrari. A childhood dream, the pressure(self and fans), fighting uphill, sweatermans death, family, Schumacher's condition...it was a lot. Singapore 2017 and losing the championship definitely rattled him. He didn't quite look the same through 2018 as the pressure peaked at the German GP and he was done after that. Fell off Massa style but without a massive incident. Leclerc needs to be careful himself.
You don't miss a chance to kick Ferrari, uh? At Red Bull he was already under pressure with Ricciardo, he had little choice. Also the Red Bull was not better than the Ferrari then. He was relatively confortable for a few years along Raikkonen, but then came Leclerc. He had a fair chance and missed it, end of story.
FA left after 5 years LOL. How long should he have waited. Domenicali has stated FA was not a team wrecker. He took a car and drove it beyond his capability. He did well for Ferrari. The car was not good enough and yet for lack of 1 pass it was a title contender in his hands. The myth of FA being so bad is just that. He would not have tossed titles as Vettel did.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/who-will-replace-vettel-at-aston-martin-after-his-f1-exit/10344534/ Option 1 - Nico Hulkenberg Option 2 - Fernando Alonso The rest If not Alonso, then who? The list of big names who are going out of contract and might see Aston as an upgrade is very short. Alex Albon is one, and he could be an interesting choice. He would certainly fit the bill of not making waves with his team-mate. Mick Schumacher is also out of contract at Haas, and no doubt Vettel will be singing the praises of his protege. He'd also be great on the marketing side. But has the youngster really done enough to convince Aston folk? And would he be willing to cut his Ferrari ties? Another potential candidate is Daniel Ricciardo, who in theory is still under contract to McLaren. However, he could either be dropped by McLaren or exit in a "controlled manner" that suits all parties should he be offered an Aston deal. That would open up a seat for Colton Herta or someone else that McLaren wants to promote. Ricciardo ticks a lot of boxes, but will Aston really want to take someone who has struggled so much at McLaren, and shows few clear signs of digging himself out of the hole he is now in? If Aston doesn't take Alonso, it won't want Piastri – Stroll would not want to take on a rival team's protege, train him up, and send him back to Enstone and former Aston boss Otmar Szafnauer. There is one other rookie who could be an outside bet. Nyck de Vries is highly-rated in the paddock, and his recent FP1 outings with Williams and Mercedes have done him no harm. Image Unavailable, Please Login Nyck de Vries, Test and Reserve Driver, Mercedes AMG, arrives into the paddock Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images He's on the list of Aston reserves, at races where Hulkenberg is not present, and thus there has been some contact. Aston also still has two FP1 rookie sessions to deploy this year, during which they can assess him. The team uses Mercedes engines and that there are all sorts of connections between Stroll and Toto Wolff that would make such a deal painless. And it would be very easy for Mercedes to hand him to Aston with no ongoing contractual ties to the Brackley team, so he would belong to Stroll with no strings attached.
I am certainly not the only one on this forum who doesn't look at Ferrari through rose-tainted glasses.
Tom, You're wrong on at least one name, attested by the man himself: Chris Amon. Amon left Ferrari on his own decision, but still on very good terms with Enzo himself. In Amon's biography, Eoin Young states that they parted amicably, because Amon had doubts about the - then new - Flat 12 tests & reliability, but that they made a bet, Enzo telling Chris: "I'll win a race before you do". They always kept a very amicable relationship, met regularly, and after Ferrari's catastrophic 1973 season, when Jacky Ickx walked away from Ferrari due to the lack of results, Enzo was ready to sign Amon again for 1974, only for Martini (which was sponsoring the Tecno brothers) to block Amon from being released from his contract with them. Amon recalled that, years later, he was farming "down under "in New Zealand when he received a letter wishing him well for his 40th birthday in 1983: the post stamp was from Maranello, and the adress was written in violet ink: sender was Enzo himself. Rgds
