Formula 1: Vettel takes failure of his box almost indifferently

Stand: 01.11.2020 | Reading time: 3 minutes

AOn the prestigious Imola course on Sunday afternoon, something steeped in history happened in two senses. Mercedes, the dominator of the horsepower industry, secured the Formula 1 constructors’ championship for the seventh time in a row, replacing its currently suspended rival Ferrari. In addition, Lewis Hamilton, the star pilot of the Silver Arrows, came through his victory in Italy on the 29th course worldwide, which he was already able to leave as the winner.

The fact that all of this took place without spectators along the route, whether the corona pandemic, hardly bothered anyone among the protagonists. “What an incredible achievement, thank you everyone,” said Hamilton after his ninth win of the season – the 93rd of his career. “It was a very exhausting race, it’s just overwhelming now. I look at our employees here, they are the real heroes who never give up. That is the spirit in this team, that is unique. Nobody has done that before, ”said the Briton. “Coming back every year and repeating the success is not easy. Seven times champion, I can tell my grandchildren that someday. “

And Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, with whom Hamilton had celebrated hopping in the finish area, said a little later about the early win of the designer title: “That is something to be proud of. Seven world championships, who would have thought? We have a group that is amazing. It’s a huge, proud moment with all of these people. It’s not that easy to keep pushing the level up. “

Boredom at the top

In Imola, where the Brazilian Ayrton Senna had a fatal accident in 1994 and where a race was held for the first time since 2006, the boredom, which many observers found annoying, prevailed at the top. After Hamilton, the Finn Valtteri Bottas crossed the finish line in second place and thus expressed the superiority of his team in numbers. Third was the Australian Daniel Ricciardo in a Renault.

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For the four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix held the next disappointment in store. He was only twelfth and suffered a failed tire change when his Ferrari racing team needed an incredible 13.1 seconds to replace the tires.

A disaster in the pit lane and a nuisance for the German, who was in fourth place at the time. “The pace was much better, but then we didn’t have a good stop. In the end, that cost us the race, ”said Vettel. “That’s why there were no points today.” He sounded almost indifferent.

In the overall standings, the ex-champion in his last Ferrari year is only 14th with 18 points. Hamilton leads the ranking with 282 points, Bottas follows with 197 points. Third is the Dutchman Max Verstappen, who could not finish the race on Sunday and landed on lap 52 with a burst tire in the gravel. The Red Bull driver has 162 points in his account.

Vettel may not be the only German in one of the coveted cockpits in the next season. Mick Schumacher, son of legend Michael, can hope for a job with the Haas team.

“It would be an honor for us, something we could be proud of,” said team boss Günther Steiner about a possible commitment before the Grand Prix in Imola. After Alfa Romeo extended the contracts with Kimi Räikkönen (41) and Antonio Giovinazzi (26), Haas is seen as the best chance for Schumacher of a regular place in the premier class. “We’re talking to several people, there are still a few options,” said Steiner. In the negotiations one is “in the home straight”.

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