Sebastian Vettel must be Ferrari priority, says Ross Brawn

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel must be Ferrari priority, says Brawn

Can Seb turn around his form?

Matthew Scott

Wednesday 11 September 2019 17:00

Restoring Sebastian Vettel's flagging confidence should be a priority for Ferrari in the coming weeks, according to Ross Brawn.

The Scuderia are on a high after consecutive victories in Belgium and Italy, with Charles Leclerc delivering the win each time. By contrast, Vettel finished off the podium after struggling at Spa and then endured a miserable weekend in Monza.

Starting fourth after he was denied a two from Leclerc in qualifying, Vettel spun off and hit the Racing Point of Lance Stroll as he scrambled back onto the track, taking a penalty and dropping to 13th at the chequered flag.

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With many now expecting Ferrari to throw their weight behind Leclerc, Brawn says they cannot forget about the four-time world champion alongside him.

"In qualifying, [Vettel] felt he'd been let down by his team mate at the end of Q3 and so was unable to take a shot at getting pole," Brawn wrote in his post-race recap.

"However, what happened in the race was down to him alone. Sebastian made two mistakes on Lap 6, spinning and then hitting Stroll – and the errors look even worse in light of Leclerc's double victory in Spa and Monza.

"It's an unavoidable fact that no matter who the driver is, and regardless of how good things are in the team, your first rival is always your team mate.

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"To a certain extent, Sebastian is experiencing what he felt at Red Bull in his final year there, in 2014, when he found himself up against Daniel Ricciardo, a youngster setting incredible pace.

"Vettel is clearly one of the greats of our sport (you don't win four titles without being so) but at this tough time he really needs the support of the team to regain the confidence he seems to be lacking at the moment.

"That, as well as pushing on with the car development, has to be a priority for Mattia Binotto in the coming weeks. It won't be easy, but it is essential, especially in terms of 2020."