Sebastian Vettel

The Turkish Grand Prix started out poorly for Vettel, where he had very little practice time during the Friday free practice sessions, including a crash in the first session. Even with the limited practice, he claimed his fifth consecutive pole position and converted it into a win, extending his championship lead over Hamilton to 34 points. At the Spanish Grand Prix, his pole position streak ended as his KERS failed him during qualifying. His teammate Webber took pole, but Vettel went on to win the race by 0.6 seconds over Hamilton, with Hamilton chasing him down at the end on prime tyres, and Vettel having to deal with a frequently malfunctioning KERS.[114] The following weekend, in the Monaco Grand Prix, he took pole with the second fastest qualifying time in Monaco’s history. Vettel was leading the race with a 5-second gap over second-placed Button. Due to a radio malfunction, the Red Bull pit crew was not prepared for Vettel when he pitted. The net result was that the pit stop was slow, and that he was sent out on the wrong tyres, handing the lead to Button as well. Vettel switched to a one-stop strategy, and stuck with one set of soft tyres for 56 laps. He was caught by Alonso and Button as his tyres deteriorated, but neither were able to pass him on the narrow streets of the Monte-Carlo circuit. With a few laps remaining, the race was red-flagged after Vitaly Petrov required an ambulance after an accident. The suspended race allowed teams to change tyres and work on the cars, and when the race was restarted under the safety car, Vettel was able to retain the lead during the last few laps.[115]

Vettel’s win at the Monaco Grand Prix was his first win in the principality, and his fifth from the first six races of the season

In Canada, he took his sixth pole position in seven races ahead of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Vettel kept his lead from the start of the race, and for the vast majority of the race he held on to it. The record six safety car periods due to the down-pouring rain and 2-hour race suspension profoundly hurt Vettel’s chances of victory, however, as after every safety car restart, Vettel would lose the gap he had previously built up on the other drivers. With much fresher tyres, Button caught Vettel and began to pressure him in the last lap. Vettel slid on a damp part of the track at Turn 6, and Button used the opportunity to slip past him to take the victory. Vettel finished second, yet still extended his championship lead to 60 points ahead of Button.

At the European Grand Prix, the FIA began enforcing a controversial ban on engine mappings. It was believed by many in the press that this was an attempt by the FIA to thwart Vettel’s domination of the season.[116] The changes appeared to do little to hinder Vettel, as he took pole with the fastest qualifying lap in Valencia Street Circuit’s history. He dominated the race with his first hat-trick of 2011 and won his sixth race out of eight races. It was the first time in Formula One history that a driver had finished second or better in each of the first 8 races of a season and won at least 6 of them.

Vettel took his ninth victory of the season at the Singapore Grand Prix after leading from lights to flag, leaving him within one point of his second World Championship

The second set of controversial mid-season changes were implemented at Silverstone, targeting the blown diffusers. Red Bull believed the changes cost them about half a second per lap.[117] Webber just edged Vettel for pole position by 0.032 seconds in qualifying. On race day, Vettel made a better start, immediately took the lead and led the first half of the race. A delay at one of his pit stops allowed Alonso to pass him in the pit lane and dropped Vettel back to third, behind Hamilton. Despite a malfunctioning KERS unit, he was able to jump Hamilton in the stops and held off the faster Webber, who ignored a radio message from team principal Christian Horner to hold position, for second place, extending his lead in the championship.[118]

Vettel’s run of fourteen successive front-row starts and eleven successive top two finishes ended at his home race, where he qualified third and finished fourth. McLaren‘s mechanical grip beat Red Bull in the wet in Hungary, and despite leading into the first corner from pole, he was quickly passed by both Hamilton and Button. Vettel eventually finished second in the race, held in mixed conditions. In Belgium, Vettel qualified on pole and won the race, his seventh victory of the season and seventeenth of his career. In victory, Vettel extended his lead in the championship to 92 points and, even with seven races left, his tally of 259 points surpassed his own record (from 2010) for the highest number of championship points accumulated in a season. At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, he took his tenth pole position of the year – joining Ayrton Senna as the only drivers to have taken ten pole positions in two separate seasons – and the 25th of his career,[119] and eventually won the race after passing Alonso, who had overtaken Vettel at the start. Vettel led every lap from pole position in Singapore, despite a safety car period eliminating a 22-second lead that he had held. His ninth win of the season left only Jenson Button in championship contention, who was 124 points behind with five races remaining.

Vettel at the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix where, with four races remaining in the season, he became the youngest double World Drivers’ Champion

Vettel arrived in Japan needing only a single championship point, tenth place, to secure his second championship. In qualifying, Vettel recorded his twelfth pole position of the season – his fifth in succession – edging Button by 0.009 seconds. In the race, Vettel held the lead until the second pit-stop phase, when Button used the undercut to get past.[120] He remained second after a safety car restart, but because his tyres wore out not long after that, he slipped down to third behind Alonso. He tried to fight Alonso for the position, but after several unsuccessful passing attempts, his race engineer told him to hold position and defend his championship. This podium finish secured his second successive title with four races remaining, making him the youngest ever double world champion and also the youngest back-to-back champion, joining only eight other drivers who had won consecutive titles.[121] In Korea, Vettel started second, but won the race – becoming the second driver to take at least ten wins in a season after Michael Schumacher[122] – after overtaking Lewis Hamilton on the first lap, building a healthy gap for the rest of the race, and recording the fastest lap of the race on the final lap. He helped secure Red Bull’s second successive Constructors’ World Championship in the process.[123][124] Vettel took his eleventh victory of the season in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, leading every lap from pole position, as well as setting the race’s fastest lap on the final lap, despite Red Bull having detuned his engine in an effort not to risk the race victory.[125][126]

At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Vettel took his fourteenth pole position of 2011 to equal the record of poles in a season set by Nigel Mansell in 1992.[127] Vettel had a good start to maintain the lead by the first corner, but at the second corner, a right rear puncture saw him go sliding off the track. He returned to the pits, but suspension damage forced his first retirement since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix. Vettel then broke the record for the most poles in a season at the next round, the season finale in Brazil.[128] He maintained his lead into the first corner but was slowed by gearbox trouble early in the race. He allowed teammate Webber to pass him as his problem worsened, but eventually finished second ahead of Button to complete a 1-2 sweep for the team upon Webber’s only victory of the year. Vettel completed the year with 15 poles, 11 victories, and 17 podiums from 19 races; he also earned a record total of 392 points in the process.

2012: Triple world champion

See also: 2012 Formula One World Championship Vettel driving for Red Bull Racing at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix

Vettel remained at Red Bull for the 2012 season,[129] and was again partnered by Mark Webber.[130] He scored a second-place finish at the opening race of the season in Australia.[131] Vettel started fifth in Malaysia, promoted from sixth after Kimi Rikknen suffered a five-place grid penalty.[132] Vettel spent the majority of the rain-affected race in fourth place, but picked a puncture from a collision with the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan on lap 47.[133][134] He dropped to twelfth after pitting to replace the tyre, and finished eleventh after Pastor Maldonado retired late in the race with an engine failure.[133][135] This was Vettel’s first finish outside the points since the 2010 Belgian Grand Prix;[citation needed] Karthikeyan was given a 20-second post-race penalty for his part in the collision, which dropped Karthikeyan from 21st to 22nd and last.[135]

After the race, Vettel and Red Bull boss Christian Horner criticised Karthikeyan’s driving, with Vettel calling Karthikeyan an “idiot”,[136] and a “cucumber”.[137] Karthikeyan hit back at Vettel, calling him a “cry-baby”.[138] Later, Karthikeyan decided to call a truce with Vettel, stating his respect for Vettel’s abilities and saying “I think we have to deal with it in a mature way and forget about it.”[138] Vettel qualified eleventh for the Chinese Grand Prix; the first time he had qualified outside the top ten since the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix,[139] although he ran as high as 2nd with 7 laps remaining until tyre wear on a 2-stop strategy took its toll and he dropped to 5th by the flag.[140]

Vettel took his first victory of 2012 in Bahrain

Vettel qualified in pole position for the first time in 2012 at the Bahrain Grand Prix.[141] Vettel was able to lead for most of the race, despite coming under pressure from Kimi Rikknen, and crossed the line in first place to take his first victory of the season; the result also saw Vettel go top of the drivers’ standings for the first time in 2012.[142][30][143] At the Spanish GP, he maintained his championship lead, albeit only on countback, after a 6th-place finish having started 7th.[144][145][146] Vettel received a drive-through penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags during the race as well as having to change his front wing as a result of debris from an incident involving Michael Schumacher and Bruno Senna.[147] After an eventful race at Monaco, he placed fourth, gaining 5 places from his ninth-place grid position.[148][149]

Vettel took his second victory of the 2012 season at the Singapore Grand Prix

Vettel claimed his 2nd pole position for the season in Canada, however he dropped to 3rd after the first pit stops and then trying to go the remaining distance of the same tyres, he fell back in the closing stages and had to make a late stop for new tyres.[141][150][151] He eventually came 4th.[152] At the following race in Valencia, he claimed his 33rd pole position, going 3rd equal with Jim Clark and Alain Prost in the all-time list.[141][153] However a 20-second lead in the first 20 laps was reduced to nothing by a safety car appearance.[citation needed] On the first lap of the restart, his car ground to a halt, with an alternator failure being the cause.[154] Vettel would have taken the lead in the standings- instead, he fell back to 4th behind Alonso (who won), Hamilton and Webber.[155]

At Silverstone, Vettel qualified 4th after a wet session which, at one point, had to be suspended for over 1 hour due to torrential rain.[156] In the dry race he overcame a slow start, where he dropped to 5th, to finish 3rd behind Webber and Alonso.[157] In Germany he started second, but before the third pit-stop, he was attacked by Hamilton, who wanted to unlap himself, lost some time, and was overtaken by Button after the pit-stop.[158][159] On the penultimate lap he passed Button and finished second behind Alonso.[159] After the race, however, the stewards found that Vettel was off the track when he overtook Button and so they awarded him a 20-second time penalty which dropped him back to fifth.[159] At the following race in Hungary, Vettel finished 4th after starting 3rd.[160][161]

After the summer break, at the Belgian Grand Prix, he fought back from a poor qualifying, where he was knocked out in Q2 to start 10th, and a poor start in which he had to avoid the big accident ahead of him.[162][163] Having ended the first lap in 12th, he managed to finish 2nd.[164] At Round 13 in Italy, Vettel started 5th and was running 4th until he forced Fernando Alonso onto the grass, for which he received a drive-through penalty, dropping him to 9th.[165][166] Then, having recovered to 6th with 5 laps to go, the alternator on his car failed for the second time in the weekend.[165][167] Vettel was classified 22nd, with championship leader Alonso coming 3rd and Hamilton winning.[167] The next race was the Singapore Grand Prix, where Vettel qualified 3rd.[168] He overtook Pastor Maldonado at the start before the leader Lewis Hamilton retired with a car failure, Vettel then kept the lead until the 2-hour race limit was reached.[169] It was his first win in 10 races, ending his worst run since his maiden win (which came in his 22nd race).[citation needed]

At Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix, Vettel took his 2nd career Grand Slam (Pole, Fastest Lap and lead every lap) and coupled with Alonso retiring on the first lap, he cut the gap down to just 4 points.[170][171][172] On 14 October he won his third consecutive race at the Korean Grand Prix.[173] He overtook his teammate Mark Webber, who took the pole, to finish the race ahead of him, making it a Red Bull 1-2 finish.[174] With this win, Vettel took the lead in the overall championship from Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.[175] The Indian Grand Prix brought another victory, with Vettel topping all 3 practice sessions before taking pole position and leading every lap of the race to a comfortable win, ahead of teammate Mark Webber in 3rd – who lost his 2nd place when a KERS failure slowed him down.[176]

Vettel at the 2012 United States Grand Prix

Abu Dhabi presented one of Vettel’s most controversial qualifying sessions of the season when, after setting the third fastest time in Q3, he was told to stop the car.[177] A fuel pump issue was later found to be the source of this problem and the ensuing penalty meant Vettel was to start the race from last, but as Red Bull then decided to make changes to the car, he was forced to start from the pit lane.[177] However, in the race, Vettel managed to fight his way back to 3rd place to complete the podium.[178] After a podium in the US Grand Prix Vettel was well set up to win the championship in Brazil.[179] Vettel started the race with a 13-point cushion against title contender Fernando Alonso.[180] After a close eventful race full of spins, which included Vettel’s opening lap incident with Bruno Senna, crashes and changing weather conditions, Vettel finished 6th while Alonso finished 2nd, resulting in Vettel winning the championship by three points.[22] This was Vettel’s third consecutive championship, and at age 25 he became the youngest ever triple world champion,[22] beating Ayrton Senna‘s previous record. Senna won his third F1 world championship title in 1991 at age 31.[181] Vettel also became the third driver to acquire three-consecutive championships, after Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher.[181]

2013: Quadruple world champion, 13 wins, 9 wins in a row

See also: 2013 Formula One World Championship Vettel (left) controversially passing teammate Mark Webber at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix, despite team orders to maintain position

Vettel started his fifth season with Red Bull Racing by qualifying on pole for the 2013 Australian Grand Prix,[182] before going on to finish the race in third place, twenty-two seconds behind race winner Kimi Rikknen.[183] He took pole again for the Malaysian Grand Prix in dominant display of wet weather driving, lapping over 2.5 seconds faster than teammate Webber.[184] He went on to win the race, though not without controversy, after Vettel ignored team orders not to pass teammate Mark Webber. Webber emerged from the pits a fraction of a second ahead of Vettel as they went side-by-side into the first corner. Although Red Bull told both drivers that they were to finish with Webber to take the win, after two laps Vettel eventually overtook Webber for the lead with eleven laps remaining in the race. Webber was furious after the race, saying Vettel “will have protection as usual and thats the way it goes”.[185] Team principal Christian Horner, although unhappy with Vettel’s actions, pointed out that Webber had defied team orders on several previous occasions, as recently as two races ago. Horner acknowledged that the already fragile relationship between the two drivers had further broken down as a result of the incident.[186] Vettel apologised for his actions, claiming that he had not deliberately ignored the order despite the team’s insistence that he had been made perfectly aware of the instruction to maintain his position.[187] Vettel later recanted his apology, claiming that he was not sorry for winning and that if the situation presented itself again, he would have passed Webber in spite of the order, adding that he felt Webber did not deserve to win the race.[188]

In the Chinese Grand Prix, Vettel qualified 9th, after not setting a time in Q3, before finishing 4th, setting fastest lap and crossing the line two-tenths behind 3rd placed Lewis Hamilton. Vettel won from second on the grid in Bahrain, passing Nico Rosberg in the opening laps. Vettel maintained the championship lead with 4th in Spain, and 2nd at the Monaco Grand Prix. He won in dominant fashion at Montreal, winning from pole position by 15 seconds and lapping everyone up to 5th, extending his lead to 36 points.

Vettel at the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix, where he took the first of nine consecutive victories

His lead was cut at the British Grand Prix as he was denied a likely win due to gearbox failure, but he bounced back to win his home race in Germany for the first time, despite pressure from Kimi Rikknen and Romain Grosjean. In Hungary, Vettel had to settle for 3rd behind Hamilton and Rikknen, but wins in Belgium (from 2nd on the grid), Italy, Singapore and Korea (all 3 from pole) put him 77 points clear with only 5 races to go. With grand slams at Singapore and Korea, he became only the third man after Alberto Ascari and Jim Clark to take consecutive grand slams. Vettel sealed his fourth world title at India on 27 October.[189] By winning the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Vettel set the record for Most consecutive race wins in Formula 1, with 9.[190]

[191]

On several occasions during the season, spectators booed Vettel. Although the booing was widely condemned by fellow drivers, the media and others in the paddock,[192][193] Vettel revealed that it had a negative impact on him.[191]

Prior to the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix, Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko expressed his wish to extend Vettel’s contract for another two years to 2016.[194] However, on 11 June 2013, Vettel agreed to a one-year contract extension with Red Bull until the end of the 2015 season.[195]

2014: A struggling season and departure from Red Bull

See also: 2014 Formula One World Championship Vettel at the 2014 Chinese Grand Prix

For the 2014 season and beyond, drivers picked a unique car number to use for the remainder of their Formula One career, Vettel chose the number five. However, as reigning World Drivers’ Champion he carried number one throughout 2014.[196] After having Mark Webber (who retired from Formula One to race in the new World Endurance Championship) as a teammate for five years, Vettel’s new teammate in 2014 was Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who was promoted from the Toro Rosso team.

After struggling with reliability issues throughout winter testing, the season did not start much better for Vettel. At the Australian Grand Prix, software issues meant Vettel qualified in twelfth position[197] and forced him to retire from the race after just three laps.[198] Reliability problems also forced Vettel to retire at the Monaco and Austrian Grands Prix. Vettel qualified on the front-row for the races in Malaysia, Great Britain, and Hungary, and finished on the podium in Malaysia, Canada, Singapore and Japan. On 4 October 2014, Red Bull Racing announced that Vettel would be leaving the team at the end of the 2014 season, one year before his contract was due to expire.[199] After the Russian Grand Prix, he had been outqualified by a teammate over a season for the first time in his Formula One career. In addition to suffering reliability problems, throughout 2014 Vettel struggled to get to grips with the Red Bull RB10,[200] and Pirelli’s 2014 tyres.[201] Vettel signed off the 2014 season, by becoming the first defending champion to fail to win a race in the following season since Jacques Villeneuve in 1998.[202]

Ferrari (2015-present)

Vettel during pre-season testing in Catalunya debuting for Ferrari[203] His contract extension to the end of 2015 seemed to end any discussion that Vettel was about to make the Ferrari move.

On the day Vettel and Red Bull announced parting ways, team principal Christian Horner announced that Vettel was going to sign with Ferrari.[204] From there it took from early October to 20 November for Ferrari to announce a three-year contract with Vettel.[10] At the same time, Ferrari announced that Vettel’s long-time championship rival Fernando Alonso would be departing the team at the end of the season; meaning Vettel would partner Kimi Rikknen at the team.[205] Alonso’s departure two years before his contract expiry opened the Ferrari door for Vettel.

Vettel was denied an early release from his Red Bull contract to test the 2014 Ferrari car in Abu Dhabi post-race.[206] In spite of this Vettel technically breached his contract being at the test with Ferrari – although not driving the car but Red Bull did not enforce any sanctions.[207] Vettel instead made his first appearance at the Ferrari factory over the weekend of 29-30 November, completing nearly 100 laps around the test track of Fiorano in the 2012 car as well as performing simulator work and completing his first official interview as a Ferrari driver.[208] According to Ferrari’s official website, Vettel did however try the simulated 2014 car in the team’s simulator program.

2015: Returning to the top step, a threat to Mercedes

See also: 2015 Formula One World Championship Vettel at the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix, where he took his maiden win for Ferrari after two races.

Vettel made his Ferrari dbut by finishing third in the Australian Grand Prix after overtaking Felipe Massa for the position during the pit stop window.[209] The previous day he had narrowly outqualified teammate Kimi Rikknen for fourth on the grid. Vettel followed that up with winning the Malaysian Grand Prix,[210] his first race win for over a year and the first win for Ferrari for almost two years. It was also his 40th Grand Prix win, putting him one win behind Ayrton Senna, the 3rd-placed driver on the all-time list. After the win, an emotional Vettel paid tribute to Michael Schumacher, saying that his hero’s achievements with Ferrari made the first win all the more special.[211] Vettel also stated his goal was to try to win the championship. Mercedes’s executive director Toto Wolff admitted at the same time that Vettel was a title contender, saying that Ferrari’s recovery over the winter was ‘incredible’.[212] Vettel ran both Mercedes cars close for the first half of the race in China, but eventually had to settle for third – his third successive podium – which was a result that both Vettel and the team admitted was always the most likely on that particular occasion.[213]

Vettel was involved in a minor tangle with Sergio Prez during practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix, damaging his front wing coming out of the pits. Vettel claimed the impact happened because of a brake issue that failed to slow the car down saying ‘something broke on the front right’ on the team radio.[214] In spite of his claims, the incident was investigated by the race stewards. Both Vettel and Prez were cleared of any wrongdoing later that evening, and so escaped any penalties.[215] The rest of the weekend was mixed for Vettel, who qualified on the front row, but had several issues and off-track escapades during the race before being stuck behind Valtteri Bottas‘ Williams and having to settle for fifth.[216] Given that he had qualified on the front row and that teammate Rikknen was second, the result was somewhat underwhelming, and he dropped to third place in the championship as a result. Vettel commented that he lost his rhythm during the race and did not have enough confidence in the rear end of the car, but nevertheless remained positive about the performance potential of the car.[217] Before his front wing damage, Vettel had twice overtaken Nico Rosberg for second place during pit stops, only to immediately be pegged back. Vettel was in second for a long spell during the Spanish Grand Prix but due to a change of pit stop strategy, Lewis Hamilton got past and pulled away, leaving Vettel in third at the end of the race.[218] He finished second in Monaco, having run very close to eventual winner Rosberg for most parts of the race. Mercedes made a strategic error in bringing dominant leader Hamilton in for new tyres at the late safety car, placing him right behind Vettel. The duel that followed made Vettel fall back from Rosberg, but he managed to hold off Hamilton to finish an unlikely second. In Canada, Vettel got his lowest qualifying position of the season, qualifying in 18th, and then received a five place grid penalty for overtaking under red flags in practice 3 that morning. The race, however, was a success, as he finished 5th behind teammate Rikknen.

Vettel during qualifying for the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix, a race he would go on to win.

Following a 4th in Austria and 3rd at Silverstone that appeared to edge Vettel further away from a title challenge, he rebounded with a commanding win in the Hungarian Grand Prix, after a superb start from 3rd on the grid, which saw him slice past both Mercedes cars and retain the lead throughout. The win was Vettel’s first ever at the Hungaroring and equalled Ayrton Senna‘s total of 41 Formula One victories. It was dedicated to Jules Bianchi who died the week prior from injuries sustained in 2014.[219] At the halfway point of the season, Vettel was 42 points behind championship leader Hamilton, and said the team aimed to make what was seen as ‘impossible’ possible during the second half of the season. He however accepted a lot of work was needed to be done to catch up.[220] Vettel looked set for third in Belgium after a long stint on the supposedly conservative medium tyre when his right rear blew at high speed on the penultimate lap, likely ending any title chances given Hamilton won. After the race he went on a furious rant about control tyre manufacturer Pirelli and the ‘unacceptable’ and ‘unsafe’ tyres that could have caused him serious injury had the explosion occurred in the Eau Rouge corner just before where it actually occurred and since it was the second such blowout at high speed during the weekend (the first befell Nico Rosberg during practice). Vettel was also unhappy with Pirelli’s suggestion that the failures were due to the drivers going wide picking up debris, saying he never did.[221]

Vettel at the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix, where he took his third and final victory of the season

Vettel came home second in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the first race for him with Ferrari at the team’s home soil. Amid a contract dispute regarding the venue’s future Vettel once again went on the rampage and said that the race could not be lost and would ‘rip the heart out of Formula One’ if it did. He also stated that he regarded his first podium for Ferrari at Monza as ‘the best second place of his life’.[222] Vettel then took his first Ferrari pole at the Singapore Grand Prix.[223] It was the team’s first pole for three years, and first dry pole since at the same venue five years earlier. Vettel was 0.543 seconds ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in second. He went on to win the race from Ricciardo, thus surpassing Ayrton Senna‘s victory count for his 42nd career win, moving him into third on the all-time list.[224] With championship leader Hamilton retiring, Vettel closed to within 49 points with seven races remaining. The title challenge once again diminished in the next race in Japan. Vettel did however score his tenth podium finish of the year, finishing third behind Hamilton and Rosberg at a track with significantly different attributes to Singapore. Vettel scored another second place and with fastest lap of race at Sochi moving him to second place in Drivers’ Championship following Nico Rosberg’s retirement in the early parts of the race. In the United States Vettel started from 13th due to an engine change penalty, but still charged his way to a podium, even challenging Rosberg for second on the final lap.

The third last race of the season in Mexico was a major disappointment, with Vettel being punted softly in the rear tyre by Daniel Ricciardo on the first corner entry, suffering a puncture. Having had strong pace all weekend, Vettel’s chances were all but gone and in a recovery attempt he first spun and then crashed out, losing second in the championship to Rosberg. The penultimate race in Brazil was a strong weekend for Vettel, who finished far ahead of teammate Rikknen on track with both having clean races. He was not far off the Mercedes cars but had to settle for third. The final race in Abu Dhabi saw Vettel finish fourth following an error in qualifying that set him far down on the grid. His recovery pace was impressive, albeit remaining one pit stop behind Rikknen in third due to lost time early on. He ended the season in third place, and with three wins and 13 podiums, he declared the season as a ‘miracle.’[225] This was in the light of how far behind the team had been the year before, yet being a race winner on merit during the course of the season.

2016: A second winless campaign in three years

See also: 2016 Formula One World Championship Vettel driving for Ferrari at the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix

Vettel started his season by finishing third in the Australian Grand Prix, which saw the race being red-flagged after an accident involving Fernando Alonso and Esteban Gutirrez.[226][227] Vettel’s participation in the Bahrain Grand Prix came to an end without even being started as his car broke down on formation lap.[228] At the Chinese Grand Prix, Vettel collided with teammate Rikknen on the first lap, but both were able to continue. Despite falling down the order as a result of the first-lap incident, Vettel recovered to finish the race second. He had initially blamed Daniil Kvyat for his first-lap collision with Rikknen, arguing that he had to take action to avoid a collision with Kvyat after Kvyat overtook him in the first corners of the race for third place, even accusing him of being a “madman” and describing Kvyat’s overtaking manoeuvre as “suicidal”, but later going on to describe the events of the first lap as a “racing incident”.[229][230] At the Russian Grand Prix, Vettel retired on the first lap after two consecutive collisions with Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat. Kvyat was handed a ten-second stop-go penalty and three penalty points on his licence.[231] Vettel came third in the Spanish Grand Prix following Max Verstappen‘s maiden win in Formula One.[232] He came fourth in the Monaco Grand Prix and second in the Canadian Grand Prix, following Lewis Hamilton‘s first two wins of the season.[233][234] At the Mexican Grand Prix, Vettel attempted to overtake Verstappen, but after Verstappen ran off track and rejoined ahead of him, Vettel verbally attacked Verstappen and race director Charlie Whiting, for which he later apologised.[235] Vettel then blocked Ricciardo by moving in the braking zone. Vettel was given a ten-second penalty and two points on his licence under a dangerous driving rule clarified only a week before the race.[236] Vettel did not manage to win in 2016, but finished the season with seven podiums and 212 points, in fourth place.

2017: Championship challenge ending in disappointment

See also: 2017 Formula One World ChampionshipThis section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful.
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Vettel began his third season at Ferrari with victory in Australia, his first win in 18 months, finishing nearly ten seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton.[237][238] Having started second, Vettel kept pace with pole-sitter Hamilton, who pitted after 17 laps, before re-joining behind Max Verstappen. With Hamilton being told by his engineer that it was “critical” to pass Verstappen, Vettel stayed out six laps longer. Vettel built up just enough of a gap to pit and re-join ahead of Verstappen, but more crucially, Hamilton. By the time Verstappen pitted a few laps later, Vettel had already pulled around five seconds clear of Hamilton and from there on, comfortably controlled the race and cruised to his 43rd career victory.[239]