Vettel must leave Ferrari: How his 'Michael Schumacher dream' fell apart

It seems over and out for Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari. As a boy in love, he entered the Maranello factory in 2015, but he will have to leave with his soul under his arm at the end of 2020.

A quick start

Actually, Vettel's career is all for the wind. The German gets a chance at BMW in Formula 1 as the youngest driver ever and can immediately score points. At Toro Rosso he gets to finish the season and impresses immediately. In 2008, however, it only really hits the mark when he manages to win a pole and a victory in Italy.

The changeover to the Red Bull Racing main team is not strange and Vettel is doing well there as well. In 2009 he fought for the world title straight away and in 2010 he has the best car at his disposal. Due to a strategic blunder by Ferrari, he also takes that title in the very last race.

Where Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo had years of bad luck at Red Bull, Vettel was in the right place at the right time. Together with teammate Mark Webber, Vettel didn't get in the way and went up for four world titles. A remarkable achievement, but with more and more people the question arose whether it was up to the car or the driver.

With his feet on the ground

Where Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso were able to make their mark to multiple teams, Vettel wanted to try that too. In 2014, the inferior car of Red Bull and his young teammate will put him with both feet on the ground, because for the first time Vettel loses an internal duel.

It seems like a sign on the wall, but time to really analyze it is not given, because Vettel leaves directly to Ferrari. At Ferrari Vettel gets the lead and Kimi Raikkonen clearly has the role as number two. Vettel has to lead the team to a new championship in the fight against Mercedes and Hamilton.

Where the pressure in 2015 and 2016 is not yet so high because the car is not yet delivering the desired performance, Vettel seems to be well grounded. He is on the podium and even knows how to win races in 2015. However, in 2017 and 2018 there will be a turnaround and people will see Vettel as he was briefly seen in 2014: just not good enough.

Ferrari takes measures

This will become clear when Vettel gets the car at his disposal of Ferrari. In 2017 and 2018 the Italian race stable has made a car that should surely compete for the title until the last day. However, Vettel won't get it done. He shoots in the wall in Germany, gets a penalty for awkward behaviour in Azerbaijan, crashes at the start in Singapore and goes into a spin in front of his own public at Monza.

Despite changes in the lead, the bar is full at Ferrari. In two years Vettel doesn't get it done and Maranello wants something new. The young talent Charles Leclerc should get the chance in 2019. The plan is twofold. On the one hand it can provide a mega talent with a great opportunity at Ferrari, but on the other hand it can also test Vettel within the team.

Just like in 2014, Vettel will be under pressure from his team mate in 2019. Under that pressure he will make some mistakes again. He steers on a straight in Brazil, pops behind Verstappen in Great Britain and spins again in front of his own crowd in Italy. Ferrari openly gives the support, but behind the scenes Vettel already knows what time it is.

It's not his contract as a frontman that is being broken, but that of his younger teammate. The man who is still considered 'second driver' at the beginning of 2019 will receive a multi-year contract from Ferrari and a nice salary increase. The choice for the future seems to have been made within Ferrari and Vettel doesn't have much time to prove himself.

What now?

However, now it appears that he is not going to get that time at all. Of course it has not yet been confirmed by official sources, but that seems a matter of time. Vettel has had his chance and dream job at Ferrari, but despite possibly good performance in 2020, will not have the chance to rectify this.

Read here who we think are the possible replacements for Vettel at Ferrari!

The question is what follows for Vettel? The German has never hidden the fact that it is all about winning. Now that his big dream to match Michael Schumacher has fallen apart, the question is whether he still wants to join another team? Mercedes will not want unrest next to Hamilton and Red Bull always chooses young talent.

Should Carlos Sainz or Daniel Ricciardo become the replacement for Vettel, then McLaren or Renault will have a spot free. Renault seems to have doubts about the future in Formula 1 and wouldn't be a great choice for Vettel and wouldn't make a smart move financially if they would choose such a driver.

Retirement

McLaren is a realistic option, but Vettel will have to compete with Ricciardo. His former teammate may not have so many world titles, but he hasn't been able to prove himself in such a car. However, with the big smile Ricciardo is the figurehead that many teams want to have and so it is questionable if Vettel can go to McLaren?

With that option out of the way, there don't seem to be many teams left where Vettel can win. That's what Vettel prefers to do and with the millions in his pocket, the family man could also just choose to hang his helmet on the willows. It was a wonderful career with great teams and titles on his resumé, but it was just not good enough to realize that dream for Ferrari.