Binotto concedes Vettel "a failure" with Ferrari

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has conceded Sebastian Vettel's time with the Scuderia was "a failure".

German Vettel spent six seasons with the Italian outfit as he tried to follow up his four championship successes earned with Red Bull.

The 35-year-old had aimed to follow in the footsteps of hero Michael Schumacher in revitalising a Ferrari team in disarray.

Despite Mercedes' blistering start to the turbo-hybrid era, Vettel led Ferrari to title challenges in 2017 and 2018, even leading the standings at the halfway stage of the latter campaign.

But his chances began to crumble with a mistake when leading the German Grand Prix that year, hitting the barriers and retiring.

Vettel, who retired from F1 on Sunday following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, has himself called his time with Ferrari a failure.

Asked if he agreed with the evaluation, Binotto said: "I think he is right.

"When he joined Ferrari, his ambition and objective was to win the title with Ferrari and it was our dream and objective as well.

"So it was a failure for him but it was a failure altogether as a team.

"He was very close, or the closest he was was in 2017 and '18, so we had a few opportunities but we didn't get it.

"I think when your final objective is to do that and when you do not achieve it, it is a failure."

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