Column | Red Bull's prodigy is treated right again at Aston Martin

Red Bull Racing prodigy

Sebastian Vettel did well at the end of 2013. The German took his fourth world title for Red Bull Racing and that is still a credit to the team. Seb is Red Bull's prodigy. The first driver to really breakthrough from the junior programme and win his first world title for the team in 2010 out of the blue. It just can't get any better for Vettel.

With four world titles under his belt, Vettel may have started to believe in himself a little too much at that point. The fact that Daniel Ricciardo is beating him in 2014 is due to the car and the fact that he has already set his sights on Ferrari. Vettel leaves, to race at his dream team what his idol, Michael Schumacher, did: become World Champion with Ferrari.

The pressure of Ferrari

For Ferrari, Vettel was a relief after the elephant in the room (Fernando Alonso). But with the pressure of Ferrari, wins had to come. It got serious. 

That pressure began to weigh on Vettel's shoulders, and it showed in 2017. With a car that finally seemed capable of attacking Mercedes, Vettel did the craziest things. He steered full into Hamilton after an alleged 'brake test' in Azerbaijan and crashed into Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen at the start in Singapore.

Hamilton walked away with the world title and did so again in 2018 when Vettel had an even better package at his disposal if possible. However, with the higher pressure, came more mistakes, with the low point of his career in Germany, where he slid into the tyre wall in front of his own crowd whilst leading the race.

Ferrari drops Vettel

Where Red Bull Racing had supported Vettel in tough times, Ferrari left Vettel further and further on his own. Changes in management didn't help, and when Charles Leclerc was brought to Ferrari in 2019, everyone actually knew enough: Leclerc should be the new front-runner. That the Monegasque took the reins so quickly, however, few expected.

Just like in 2014 with Daniel Ricciardo, Vettel didn't know what to do with the internal struggle in 2019 and 2020 either. He needs trust, not rivalry. The German quickly faded into the background, and after one win in 2019, it remained at one podium and a thirteenth place in the standings in 2020. With Carlos Sainz as the new driver for 2021, an inglorious end to the career of a four-time world champion seemed to be in sight.

Quitting F1?

Vettel was in serious doubt whether he should continue. Did he still like it and was there a team which, as four-times world champion, could show his skills? Lawrence Stroll smelled his chance to become a figurehead for Aston Martin. A smart move from a marketing point of view, or was it also aimed at getting Lance Stroll to beat a four-time world champion?

Those doubts were there at the start of the season, and with a wavering start, Vettel didn't dispel them. What if he lost to Stroll? The end at Ferrari wasn't a great way to end your career, but what if he lost to Stroll?

Aston Martin revives Seb

It doesn't seem to be getting that far, though. Vettel revived at Monaco and got more out of the car than was thought possible, and in Azerbaijan, he has continued that streak. Vettel is the man of his team again. Aston Martin has a former world champion in its ranks for the first time, and they are only too happy with that.

In that respect, Vettel is actually in a perfect spot. At Aston Martin there is no pressure to compete for the world title and within his team Vettel doesn't have the competition of a big talent. Vettel is seen as the frontrunner, and is supported internally by his team. He is in his place, and then again you see what he can do.

Vettel is a special driver. Give him confidence, a lesser teammate, support him when things are not going so well and don't put the pressure of winning on his shoulders, and you have a very fast driver. With that speed, he has proven that he can win world titles and is among the best of his generation, but you have to treat him the right way.

Vettel has had difficult seasons, but as world champion, he deserves the respect to say goodbye to the sport with dignity. He decided to carry on and at Aston Martin he is showing why that was the right choice. In this way he can end his career in style and he is to be congratulated for that, because above all he is just a good guy.

This article was originally published on the Dutch version of GPBlog.com, created by Tim