Vettel ignores a team order – again
He might have won in Singapore, but Sebastian Vettel had needed a big slice of fortune to end his 13-month drought – and at Sochi he found himself once more on the back foot in his battle with team-mate Charles Leclerc that is increasingly becoming personal. On days like these, it seems four-time world champion Vettel’s career is in a tailspin that appears increasingly hard to pull out from.
Historically, Ferrari has often shown a tendency to over-complicate matters between its drivers – most obviously in the Michael Schumacher-Rubens Barrichello era – and its decision to tactically use a slipstream at Sochi in an attempt to secure a one-two was a temptation fate could not resist.
The plan initially appeared to work a treat, as third-place starter Vettel jumped Hamilton and benefitted from pole position man Leclerc’s tow. Then he slipped past into a lead in a move that soon emerged to be premeditated rather than on merit. All fine.
Vettel was, of course, supposed to then give the lead back – but not for the first time in a pre-race agreement with a team-mate, he then seemed to struggle to keep his word. This was shades of ‘Multi 21’ and Mark Webber in Malaysia during the Red Bull days, when he blatantly stole a victory that should have been the Australian’s.
Just as he did back in 2013, Vettel knew his turncoat actions would cause internal friction his team would not welcome, but in such situations he can’t seem to help himself. But with Webber, he knew deep down he was a more complete racing driver – as four consecutive titles attest. This time in the case of Leclerc, it is increasingly obvious that is not the case. Petulance? Certainly. But there was also a trace of anger driven by the insecurity of knowing he’s no longer the number one in his team.
Time is a rival racing drivers can never beat and it seems to be already catching up with Vettel at the age of just 32. Binotto attempted to smooth over any controversy afterwards, saying neither had contravened the pre-race agreement. But on three occasions his senior driver had blatantly ignored an instruction to let Leclerc by. Such an action must have consequences, if not in terms of an actual punishment at least in terms of creating fractures in relationships. Vettel’s future is supposedly secure at Ferrari – but at Sochi he was playing with fire and if this continues, he’s likely to get burned.