Ferrari

Final Ferrari season a "poor reflection of the great time" together - Vettel

Vettel joins Aston Martin after finishing 13th in drivers' standings

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Monday 14 December 2020 09:39

Sebastian Vettel believes his final season with Ferrari was a "poor reflection of the great time" he had with the Scuderia after completing his final race for the team.

Vettel ended his six-season stint with Ferrari with 14th in Abu Dhabi, leading to him finishing 13th in the drivers' championship with just 33 points to his name, his lowest full-season total since his first complete Formula 1 campaign in 2008.

Despite the turbulent year endured by Ferrari, Vettel was in a thankful mood as he burst into song on his cool-down lap.

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Explaining his reasoning behind the impromptu tune, Vettel said: "Obviously, I have had a lot of highs with the whole team. Every time I was really excited, for some reason, I started to sing.

"I think it was a nice way for one last time, to sing again. The song that I leaned on was a very, very popular Italian song - Azzurro from Adriano Celentano.

"I changed the lyrics so I hope I don't get in trouble for copyright. I think it was a good way to express my gratitude for the team."

Vettel takes the mic after his swansong for @ScuderiaFerrari 🎤#AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/z5vFJ5bK9v
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 13, 2020

Vettel was also presented with a Champions League-esque trophy by the team as a parting gift which he conceded caught him by "surprise".

"Obviously, I have never finished P14 before and got a trophy," added Vettel. "So it will be a nice memory and it had a sign on the front that had all the wins.

"Unfortunately, this year has in a way been a poor reflection of the great time I have had with the team."

Our grazie to you, #Seb5 ♥️ #essereFerrari🔴 #GrazieSeb #AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/ga7lEjZsmf
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) December 13, 2020

Sporting director Laurent Mekies, in charge of the team in place of the unwell Mattia Binotto at the Yas Marina Circuit, explained Vettel's leadership abilities in times of crisis would be sorely missed.

"When it is difficult, it was always incredible to go and speak with Seb because you will get an honest view of things," he said.

"It doesn't mean you will agree all the time, you will get what he really thinks and he would always be able to get his point of view across by involving the people, getting them on board and that was priceless.

"It is easy to do that when everything goes good, but from a human perspective, it is a completely different thing to do that when things are difficult and that's where he was certainly outstanding."