In the build up to the 2019 season, I've traced back over the careers of potential title-challengers, and this is the third in that series of posts.
Sebastian Vettel is a four times
World Champion, and that commands respect in itself. Arguably there are more fitting drivers who deserve that accolade, but they haven't and its Vettel who has earned them.
Having earned his championships at
Red Bull, Vettel is out to emulate his hero,
Michael Schumacher, by winning in a
Ferrari. Ferrari haven't created a car capable of challenging the championship since 2008, with only the outstanding driving of Alonso dragging it into contention in 2010 and 2012. 2017 showed promise, and the 2018 Ferrari, at times, was the fastest car, but the Championship eludes this partnership still.
Now we nearly half way through testing for the 2019 season, and Ferrari are near the top of the timesheets and the mileage charts. Could this be the year that Vettel secures the title with the Scuderia? Or is it time for Ferrari to throw their backing behind his new hot-shot teammate,
Charles Leclerc?
Only once in Vettel's career has his team-mate been convincingly beat, and that was 2014 when he raced with
Daniel Ricciardo. After four seasons at the top of his game, and with a disappointing engine leading to an uncompetitive car in 2014, its arguable that Vettel was simply going through the motions and wasn't performing at his peak. It's a shame the partnership only lasted a season, I personally think a reinvigorated Vettel would have performed better had they had another season together.
But Vettel has been known to make unforced errors and lashing out. At the 2009 Australian GP, he clashed with
Kubica's BMW with a few laps to go, then attempting to continue without a front wing, went straight into the barriers at the next corner (as did Kubica!). In 2010, he moved into
Mark Webber after completing a pass on his team-mate causing him to crash out of the race. Later that year in Belgium, he crashed into
Jenson Button whilst battling together. In 2011, he crashed into the 'Wall of Champions' in Canada in practice (not a huge mistake, but it's funny that he's another victim). In 2016, at the Mexican Grand Prix, Vettel lost it over the radio at race director, Charlie Whiting.
In Azerbaijan 2017, he deliberately drove into
Hamilton's tyres at slow speed, venting his anger at what he thought was brake-testing antics from Lewis. Oddly, he crashed into the back of
Stroll's
Williams on the slow down lap in Malaysia 2017. In Singapore, an unnecessary swerve at the start led to a multi-car crash. In 2018, he crashed into
Bottas in France, crashed out of the lead at his home race in Germany, had multiple spins when battling other cars, and lashed out at the weighbridge in Brazil.
No human is perfect, and you need passion to push yourself, and sometimes exceed your capabilities. However, Vettel needs to control that in 2019 and minimise his mistakes if he is in a tight championship battle. He needs to keep a calmer head sometimes, but there is no denying his talent and speed and hunger for winning, as we saw when he disobeyed team orders to overtake Webber to win the Malaysian GP in 2013.
I may come to eat my words, and I believe the hype surrounding Charles Leclerc, but I don't think Vettel is going to be quite so easily pushed aside by his new team-mate, especially if a Championship is there for the taking.
2007 BMW Sauber F1.07 - US GP
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| Minichamps 400070110 |
Vettel began his career in a BMW Sauber at the USA GP and filled in for Kubica after his horrific looking accident in Canada that year. Vettel had already made some Friday Free Practice appearances in 2006. Vettel impressed at the USA GP and claimed his first points, the youngest driver to do so at the time. Surely a bright future lay ahead for the young German.
Minichamps re-released this car with a special cardboard overlay recently, but prior to that, this model was worth around £100.
2007 Toro Rosso STR2 - Chinese GP
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| Minichamps 400070119 |
Vettel replaced Scott Speed in the Toro Rosso at Hungary for the rest of the season and results started to pick up for the team. At the Japanese Grand Prix, which was ran in very wet conditions, he was running in third when behind the safety car, he ran into the back of future team-mate Mark Webber's Red Bull, taking both of them out of the race. Toro Rosso earned a double points finish in China, a 4th place finish for Vettel, when he started in 17th position.
This model isn't particularly easy to find, although it doesn't command a high value.
2008 Toro Rosso STR3 - Italian GP
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| Minichamps 400080115 |
In the era when Red Bull found a loop hole so that the lead team and Toro Rosso were able to run essentially the same chassis, but the Toro Rosso had a stronger Ferrari engine to the sister team's Renault. The STR3 wasn't introduced until the Monaco GP. From there, Vettel in particular, was a consistent points finisher, and at a wet Monza, showed his potential when he got pole position and won the race, becoming the youngest pole-sitter and race winner. The team finished 6th in the Constructors' Championship.
2009 Red Bull RB5 - Chinese GP
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| Minichamps 400090115 |
Vettel was promoted to the senior Red Bull team having driven for Toro Rosso and embarressed the senior team by scoring either teams first victory, regularly out-performing the Red Bulls and finishing ahead in the Constructors' Championship in 2008. 2009 saw new rules and regulations and Red Bull had a promising pre-season. But it was Brawn who dominated the first half of the year, helped by their double diffuser design. But a rain-soaked Chinese Grand Prix brought Red Bulls first victory and 1-2 finish with Vettel winning, which this model commemorates. As Red Bull introduced the double diffuser, the potential in the car was finally displayed as the balance of power shifted to the Red Bulls, with three further victories for Vettel and two for Webber. Red Bull with Adrian Newey designed cars, and Sebastian Vettel would dominate the next four seasons with the foundations based on the RB5.
This model comes with a standing figure in a Minichamps tall box. Another Vettel model, and more wet tyres. Hamilton is praised as a wet-weather master, and that is true, but Vettel showed early in his career that he can win in wet and mixed conditions too.
2010 Red Bull RB6 - Abu Dhabi GP
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| Minichamps 410100105 |
This is the Red Bull RB6 which Sebastian Vettel drove to victory in the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sebastian clinched the 2010 title at Abu Dhabi to become the sport’s youngest ever Drivers' World Champion. It was a fine victory, with Seb leading much of the race. His main championship rivals, Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber, pitted too early, and found it difficult to make progress up the order. Frustratingly, Alonso and Webber finished in seventh and eighth respectively, after getting caught behind the Renault's of Petrov and Kubica. This allowed Seb to clinch the title by a mere four points, earning his first of four World Championships to date.
2011 Red Bull RB7 - Japanese GP
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| Minichamps 410100305 |
Sebastien Vettel in the Adrian Newey designed Red Bull RB6 with exhaust blown diffuser powered him to a dominant second consecutive World Drivers' Championship and Constructors' Title for the team. He scored podium finishes in 17 of the 19 races, winning 11 of them. Mastering the best out of the new Pirelli tyres, he took 15 Pole Positions, led from the start and controlled the race to victory. This is the second of his four consecutive titles to date.
2012 Red Bull RB8 - Brazilian GP
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| Minichamps 410120101 |
Having had the quickest car in the field since the middle of 2009, the RB8 did not start the season as the quickest, being hurt by rule changes that banned exhaust blown diffusers of which the previous cars were heavily designed around. Vettel still won at Bahrain and scored strong points finishes as seven different winners won the first seven races. In Valencia, Red bull brought an upgrade package that saw him dominate only for an alternator failure to occur just after a safety car period causing him to retire from the lead. It wouldn't be until Singapore that Vettel would have the strongest car again, when designer Adrian Newey and his team perfect the Coanda effect, which used exhaust gases to gain more downforce. Vettel delivered four wins in a row, reminiscent of the previous season. Vettel had the lead of the championship going into the season finale at Brazil. With changeable conditions, he was caught out with a crash with Bruno Senna's Williams, and the RB8 was lucky to continue, so the race swung to Alonso's favour and then Vettel's and so swung between the two as the laps went on. But despite Alonso finishing second, Vettel did just enough to clinch the championship by 3 points. It is his third championship in a row, becoming the youngest triple world champion, and demonstrated once more what a great racing driver he is.
This lovely Minichamps model comes with damaged sidepod and floor along with intermediate tyres and Vettel's raised fist.
2013 Red Bull RB9 - Indian GP
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| Minichamps 410130901 |
Red Bull signed off this era of Formula One rules with a crushing domination over their rivals. The beginning of the season saw them hide their true pace with delicate tyres, but when Pirelli returned to 2012 style constructions on their tyres, along a few updates on the RB9's exhaust blown diffusers, Vettel took 9 straight victories and claimed his fourth Drivers' and Constructors' Championship in a row.
2014 Red Bull RB10
Similar to Hamilton's off season in 2011, Vettel had an off season in 2014, so I bought a couple of Ricciardo models instead.
2015 Ferrari SF15-T - Malaysian GP
After a dismal 2014 season for Ferrari, it was clear change was needed, even after Marco Mattiacci was brought in as new team principal in 2014, his job, as well as Ferrari Chairman, and the head of the engine department were all given to new men. Star driver, Fernando Alonso also departed, so a new star was brought in, four-time World Champion, Sebastian Vettel. It was a gamble, having been comprehensively beaten by Daniel Ricciardo in 2014, but a fresh challenge was what was required and Vettel would earn 3 Grand Prix wins, the only non-Mercedes car of 2015 to do so. Kimi
Raikkonen would score half of the points of his rejuvenated team-mate.
2016 Ferrari SF16-H - Australian GP
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| Looksmart LSF104 |
After an encouraging upturn in form for 2015 with three race victories, expectations were high coming into 2016. The SF16-H (the H for Hybrid), sported a new colour scheme with a white rollover bar, harking back to the 312T of the 70s and the F93A of 1993. Signs at the first race were encouraging, when Vettel stormed into the lead and looked likely to secure the victory but for a poor strategy call. However, the promise turned to disappointment after disappointment. With Ferrari president, Sergio Marchionne, taking a more hands on approach, the first victim was highly rated head designer, James Allison. a frustrated Vettel became known for his colourful language on the radio, mainly at backmarkers but also at Race Director, Charlie Whiting at the Mexican GP, and Raikkonen complaining to be a victim of Verstappen's strong defensive driving. The team slipped behind a rejuvenated Red Bull into the third best team.
2017 Ferrari SF70H - Australian GP
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| Looksmart LSF107 |
After a disappointing 2016 campaign, winter testing showed Ferrari compared well with the Mercedes and sure enough the car was competitive when it showed up at Australia, with Vettel winning the first race. Vettel lead the championship by the summer break with four wins and four second place finishes. But a first corner shunt at Singapore between Raikkonen, Vettel and Verstappen ended their races, an engine problem meant Vettel started at the grid in Malaysia and another engine failure 4 laps into the Japanese Grand Prix essentially put an end to Vettel's championship challenge. At Baku, Vettel deliberately banged wheels with Hamilton behind the safety car when he thought the Mercedes driver brake tested him. The Ferrari featured unique high sidepod inlets at a more efficient perpendicular angle with cleverly integrated aerodynamic wings to abide by the new sidepod geometry rules. The car was more user friendly than the Mercedes car, and more often than not was able to get the Pirelli tyres in the perfect operating window when others struggled.
2018 Ferrari SF71H
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| Bburago 18-36808V |
2018 was the battle between two four-time World Champions seeking to gain their fifth title. The season began brightly for Vettel in the Ferrari, with their strongest car in a decade, Vettel once again seized the lead of the championship for the first half of the season. The turning point came when Vettel crashed out of his home race in Germany. Wet weather in qualifying at the Hungarian GP, when Ferrari were quicker, allowed Hamilton to snatch victory. In Italy, Raikkonen had a more favourable qualifying strategy that earned him pole, and Vettel spun whilst being overtaken by Hamilton on the first lap. He also spun in Japan battling with Verstappen, and in USA when battling with Ricciardo. He also damaged the weighbridge in qualifying for the Brazilian GP. All momentum had swung Mercedes and Hamilton's way by this stage, and Vettel finished a distant second.
I haven't completed my 2018 collection as of yet, and the Ferrari isn't one that I have purchased yet.
Below are links to my other 2019 challenger career in models articles:
Lewis Hamilton
Max Verstappen
For more about World Champions, click here:
https://fongugp4.blogspot.com/p/f1-world-champions.html
