Marko: "For Vettel, everything has to be right on the car"

Qualifying duels

Especially in qualifying this season the difference between Vettel and his much younger teammate is painful. In qualifying results, it's 11-2 in Leclerc's favour. In the past, Vettel was known to be very fast in qualifying and almost every year he won the qualifying game with his teammate.

This was especially visible in his time at Red Bull with Marc Webber as a teammate. In total, the duel between them at 71-23 came in Vettel's favour. "While Webber had the reputation of being one of the fastest drivers ever in the battle for the best starting position," Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said at Sport1.de about that time. And Kimi Raikkonen was also checking it out at Ferrari.

Everything has to be right

In 2014, however, Vettel had to acknowledge his superior in Daniel Ricciardo. "For Sebastian, everything has to be right for the car, otherwise he starts thinking. That's why he had problems with Ricciardo," Marko analyses. "The Red Bull was not a winning car then, Mercedes was miles ahead. If Sebastian is one with a car, he is hard to beat."

DTM champion Bernd Schneider also believes that the current disappointing performance of Vettel at Ferrari is not necessarily due to the driver himself. "Sebastian has certainly not forgotten how to drive. So the big difference with Leclerc must have to do with the car."

Marko also thinks that if Aston Martin gives him a good car next year that he feels comfortable with, Vettel will show his strengths again. "Of course I hope not, for our own good," concludes Marko.