As the world currently reels in lockdown, it doesn’t help the Formula 1 fan a bit to know that there’s still no assurance when the season might start. There could be nothing more punishing for a soul whose life (on back-to-back weekends and) every fortnight, is about chicanes, wild overtakes, the fight for the podium, and the great comebacks on the grid.
The fan may surely be missing “Crofty” and his eternal, “And it’s lights out and away we go!”
Sebastian Vettel Would’ve Loved To See What 2020 Season Might Have Had In Store.
After all, different narratives concern the 10 teams, and hence, 20 drivers on the grid.
But the top-most teams in F1 would’ve wanted to enter a three-way duel in 2020, to state it specifically.
And who knows, one among them would’ve already clinched 2 Grands Prix had there been no Coronavirus outbreak.
But while Mercedes would’ve entered as strong favorites knowing their menacing form of late, and Red Bull too would have fancied their chances given their brand new car, things would have seemed quite different for one team in particular.
How Ferrari might have fared so far isn’t the only question that would have surely topped the mind of the Scuderia stable.
To be frank, how a certain former World Champion would have performed in the races that were eventually canceled would’ve been a big question.
And one that confronts both fans of the Scarlett Red cars and those for whom the phrase “Prancing Horse” is the essential supply of life-long oxygen.
Mentally Sebastian May Have Been On The Edge.
With the world cherishing (having no other option) the period of unexpected lull, few others would be feeling as anxious to get behind the wheel as the former multiple world champion.
The dust around the 2019 season may have settled months ago.
But Vettel may not have forgotten what a nightmare the last season was.
For someone ever accustomed to winning, how might he have felt winning just 1 race in his 21 attempts?
Does that even look like a bloke who once had the rest of the grid singing his praises in pure admiration?
Do the days of Red Bull still tease his mind bringing up a whiff of nostalgia, prompting a question, “Where have those days gone?”
That told, where it stands presently, you’d feel there’s nothing more important from Sebastian Vettel’s perspective than what the future holds.
How does it feel to be in the shoes of a man who was specifically brought in to lift the Scuderia to capturing something which has since Kimi’s 2007 title triumph?
Surely it’s not easy to be in the same spot as the great German who, in 2019, found himself comfortably numbed by a young Ferrari debutant.
There are better places to cohabit. There are better situations to be in.
The way Charles Leclerc, unquestionably the future of Ferrari, fared in his very first go for the famous Italian marquee is the stuff that racing tragics call ‘legendary.’
How often does one see a former multiple world champion outperformed and convincingly so by a newbie?
Nelson Piquet Jr. couldn’t make Alonso look amateur in the duo’s Renault years.
Antonio Giovinazzi didn’t give Raikkonen a run for his money last year. And nor did Lance Stroll throw “Checko” out of the grid in 2019.
But the way Leclerc countered Vettel, whom he regards as an inspiring figure (someone he’s learned a lot from) was perhaps the only strong narrative from the perspective of Mattia Binoto’s team.
Less Sense To Reflect On What Has Already Lapsed.
There still are well over 15 Grands Prix remaining, if one were to imagine that others too, post the cancellation of the Monaco Grand Prix would fall out of the calendar.
This precisely means there are numerable opportunities to rewrite a narrative, that from the onset of 2015 up until now, been rather sketchy from the Deutscher’s perspective.
Being Sebastian Vettel In 2020
If you are Sebastian Vettel in 2020, then you don’t want to spin, let alone crash out of a Grand Prix.
You don’t want to do in any race what you did back at Hockenheimring in 2018.
Leave spinning for the skating rink, not an elite Formula 1 Grand Prix battle.
You don’t want to have flat tires in the final lap of Silverstone, 2018.
And you definitely do not want to pull out a move that never really was, picture Lap 66, Interlagos 2019.
Moreover, you do not want to even think of the phrase DNF whilst entering the Grands Prix of Russia, the United States, and Brazil.
What You Do Need To Happen If You Are Vettel In 2020
You want to only remember the sterling improvement, perhaps one that occurred with so many odds stacked against your favor, at Singapore’s night safari.
You want to recreate the magic, time and again the way you did when post claiming a win (finally), Lewis walked up to you and congratulated you, his smile evident quite like your relief.
And you don’t definitely want to head into a presser with a sullen face, sans the quintessential Sebastian Vettel mega smile.
You Want To Dart Away Right From The Start.
You want to be precise and methodical, perhaps even seek the much-needed favor from the team just like when at halfway stage, Raikkonen was called into the pits of the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix, only for Vettel to step on top of the podium.
For it must be said that the moral responsibility to stand up post a dramatic shakedown is every bit the person’s responsibility, who headed for the fall.
For, not everyone has the talent or the will to stand up for glory, having left everyone appalled.
Go for it dear conqueror at Red Bull, go gather yourself before the curtain falls.
Sebastian Vettel Vs Charles Leclerc Head-To-Head In 2019
Australian Grand Prix
Vettel- P4, Leclerc- P5
Bahrain Grand Prix
Leclerc- P3, Vettel- P5
Chinese Grand Prix
Vettel- P3, Leclerc- P5
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Vettel- P3, Leclerc- P5
Spanish Grand Prix
Vettel- P4, Leclerc-P5
Monaco Grand Prix
Vettel- P2, Leclerc- DNF
Canadian Grand Prix
Vettel- P2, Leclerc- P3
French Grand Prix
Leclerc- P3, Vettel- P5
Austrian Grand Prix
Leclerc- P2, Vettel- P4
British Grand Prix
Leclerc- P3, Vettel- P16
German Grand Prix
Vettel- P2, Leclerc- DNF
Hungarian Grand Prix
Vettel- P3, Leclerc-P4
Belgian Grand Prix
Leclerc- race winner P1, Vettel- P4
Italian Grand Prix
Leclerc- race winner P1, Vettel- P13
Singapore Grand Prix
Vettel- race winner P1, Leclerc- P2
Russian Grand Prix
Leclerc- 3, Vettel- DNF
Japanese Grand Prix
Vettel- P2, Leclerc- P6
Mexican Grand Prix
Vettel- P2, Leclerc- P4
United States Grand Prix
Leclerc- P4, Vettel- DNF
Brazilian Grand Prix
DNF for both drivers
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Leclerc- P3, Vettel- P5
In all, Vettel- 0 wins, 8 podiums, Leclerc- 2 wins, 10 podiums