Formula 1’s Ross Brawn says that Sebastian Vettel’s struggles will be leading the Ferrari driver to ask himself questions in light of another mistake.
After Sebastian Vettel’s most recent driving error, colliding with the rear of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull while battling at Silverstone, scrutiny once again falls on the Ferrari driver. Having made numerous high profile mistakes in the second half of last season, Vettel’s 2019 has also seen some high profile mistakes.
A spin while racing Hamilton at Bahrain was costly, as was sliding off the road while keeping the Mercedes driver at bay in Canada, but the Silverstone collision with Verstappen was particularly damaging in light of Charles Leclerc’s long and clean battle with the Red Bull.
Speaking after the race, Ross Brawn said that Vettel is going through a tough patch: “Vettel could not muster a smile. Since Canada, Sebastian seems to have been struggling more and more, and in Silverstone those woes deepened further.”
“Unlike Leclerc, he never felt comfortable in the car, as can be seen from the gaps in qualifying and then, in the race, he didn’t make the most of the Safety Car opportunity, after it had seen him move up to third.”
“Then came the mistake when he slammed into the back of Verstappen’s car. He realised immediately that he’d erred and after the race quickly sought Max out to apologise. It’s a difficult moment for Sebastian, as he probably feels under a different kind of pressure than he’s used to, and he must be asking himself what direction he should now go in, given that again this year, his chance of putting Ferrari back on top is slipping away.”
Having worked for Ferrari for many years during the Michael Schumacher era, Brawn says the team are particularly good at helping drivers through tough patches: “Sebastian is an incredible driver, as his record shows, but at the moment, he needs to keep calm and to rely on support from his team, which I’m sure he is getting. I reckon there is no other team like Ferrari when it comes to surrounding its drivers with affection and positive energy.”
