Last Sunday, Ferrari hit another bump in the road when Vettel and Leclerc collided, retiring both cars from the Brazilian Grand Prix.
It is the longest-serving team in Formula 1 with beginnings that go back in 1950. Ferrari, otherwise known to many as the Scuderia, has many fans around the world who know the team as “Tifosi.” It has many grand drivers from the past, too, including such names as Gilles Villeneuve, Jody Scheckter, Mario Andretti, Phil Hill, Niki Lauda, and–of course–seven-time champion Michael Schumacher.
However, Ferrari’s history has been anything but uneventful. And after this past week’s Brazilian Grand Prix, it’s clear that a current situation is festering. Many analysts and fans wonder about the viability of the relationship between current drivers, Sebastian Vettel and new teammate, Charles Leclerc.
The conflict between the two seems to compare to past situations in Formula 1, like that between Aryton Senna and Alain Prost or perhaps even Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
What can Ferrari do about it? Thanks to Team Principal Mattia Binotto, the response was not to talk about it much at Interlagos. The prudent approach was to wait until the team was back at its headquarters in Maranello, Italy.
Vettel (left) and Leclerc earlier in the year (photo, Formula1.com)
For perspective, the most recent incident took place on lap 66, right after Valtteri Bottas left the race with an engine problem. Following the Senna S curve, both Vettel and Leclerc battled one another. The Monegasque passed his German teammate, but Vettel himself tucked in behind to try and repass him.
The two came in contact with each other and–because of that contact–both had to retire from the race. The incident was a carbon copy of what Vettel had done during the Turkish Grand Prix a few years ago–with then-teammate Mark Webber.
So is this the way Vettel normally races, passing his teammate on old tires, while his teammate had fresher ones?
“Everything happened very quickly,” Leclerc asserted. “From my side, I overtook into Turn 1. I enjoyed this overtake and, then, in Turn 3, I [was] too close because I was aware Seb (Vettel) would try again. He did, and he went around the outside where there was little space. I left the space, which he took. Then, towards the end of the straight, he started to squeeze me a little bit to the inside. We were very close, and, as soon as he went to the inside, we touched, and I got a puncture.”
Vettel was fuming mad. “I didn’t have much space on the right, and I had a better run out of Turn 2. I tried to pass in Turn 3, and that was it. It’s a shame for the team that we didn’t finish the race. That has priority.”
Binotto explains his position on what happened in Brazil (photo, MotorBox)
For his part, Binotto tried to avoid taking sides and blaming anyone for the incident. “I feel sorry for the team,” he said. “In the end, they were free to fight. Our second position in the constructors was a given, and they were battling for their position in the drivers’ championship. I think when [drivers crash] both have at least a small percentage of responsibility. But I don’t want to judge now and give my own opinion on the crash in the heat. There will be time to judge, and we will do that together.”
It will be very interesting to see how this will end, especially with Leclerc’s emergence as a competitive driver. Some in the Formula 1 community surely feel that Leclerc should be #1 at Ferrari and that Vettel should either put up with it or leave for another team.
We’ll have some resolution soon–at least in the short-term. 2021 will be a definitive year for this Ferrari team.
