Source: Ferrari Media

F1 News

Doornbos slates Vettel and Ferrari

Doornbos slates Vettel and Ferrari

13-10-2018 10:09
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Bobby Vincent

Former Formula One driver Robert Doornbos has criticised Sebastian Vettel and his team, Ferrari, over their 'collapse' in this season's world championship.

Vettel is now 67 points adrift of Lewis Hamilton, despite being ahead of the Brit not too long ago.

And Vettel's Ferrari are even further away from Mercedes in the constructors' championship - 78 points the difference between Scuderia and the Silver Arrows.

Doornbos, who drove for Red Bull, has criticised Vettel's latest move on Max Verstappen in Japan - and believes it is just the latest example of a huge error from the four-time world champion.

"Why did he have to be so eager?" Doornbos asked Ziggo Sport. "It's incomprehensible, when so much is at stake for him and his team, to put himself in an impossible position next to Max."

A lot of people believe that Vettel and Ferrari have slumped down to the pressure that was put on to them after their pace advantage became evidently clear earlier on in the season.

"It went away so quickly," the Dutchman added. "After 10 races, he was eight points ahead of Hamilton and seven races later, he's 67 points behind and it's over."

Doornbos thinks that Ferrari getting rid of Vettel's team-mate, and his friend, Kimi Raikkonen, is a sign that Scuderia "no longer always listen to Seb".

"Vettel must be challenged and Kimi does not," he added. "So they're putting a young dog (Charles Leclerc) next to him and let's see what happens. It's time for a fresh wind.

"The mental war has clearly been won by Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. In bad times there is often a hint of panic in Ferrari."