https://m.motorsport-magazin.com/for...ungslosigkeit/
Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari perform in the Formula 1 season 2018 under their possibilities. Christian Danner analyzes where the dog is buried.
Why are Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel so clearly behind Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton? The car can not lie ...
Christian Danner: No, the car is clearly not.
Ferrari has managed to implement the potential by a combination of political mistakes, strategic mistakes, bad luck and sometimes even a very aggressive Sebastian. From the purely technical and driving side, Ferrari can win any race.
You have addressed Sebastian Vettel. He is the most heavily criticized by many sides. Is that correct?
Christian Danner: It's easy - especially after Hockenheim - to beat Sebastian Vettel. In Hockenheim, of course, he has thrown away many points, but you must not forget how it came to this. Kimi has stopped him many laps, Sebastian did not pass, the tire temperatures went up, Hamilton has caught up. Ferrari did nothing. In the rain Vettel then had to drive with much more risk than he would have had to drive. That does not mean you have to leave, but here you have no problem endangering a superior position. I do not want to talk about Monza. There it was clear that you are faster in the slipstream. No matter how they started the year at Ferrari with the slipstream, at some point you have to ask yourself: Who can become world champion? Kimi or Sebastian? It looks a bit bad for Kimi and very good for Sebastian. Then you have to turn it around.
So Ferrari not only makes life difficult for himself, but especially Sebastian Vettel?
Christian Danner: Definitely! Let's not forget: What Bottas did in Monza with Kimi, has finally disassembled Kimi's race. As a result, Hamilton passed by and won the race. A very good car with a brilliant Hamilton and a very good Bottas is a bulwark that consistently uses Mercedes with all available parameters against Ferrari and Vettel. Because Ferrari does not do that, it's two against one. Ferrari has to react to that, or it would have had to react a long time ago. But they were scared. Afraid because they did not want to fire Kimi once, but somehow had to. That was almost embarrassing. What do you want? Do you want to make Kimi happy or win the World Cup?
Is Ferrari historically afraid of stall orders?
Christian Danner: In the statements of Maurizio Arrivabene about the team order, you realize that he does not understand team order properly. Team orders do not have to be made by saying: Let it pass. That is very different. Teamorder works by agreeing in advance and having a plan for all eventualities. It is not possible that Kimi drove in Hockenheim for a full circle in front of Sebastian. He needs to know that he has to drive to the side. But then there is the contract negotiations at the same time, a big poker. Is he staying, is not he? There you have to make things clear.
It does not have to be like Schumacher and Barrichello when he had to let him pass in Austria 'for the World Cup'. It does not have to be that dull today. When I stood next to it, Toto Wolff called Bottas Wingman. Even though he later regretted saying so:
The word Wingman comes from Toto Wolff and no one else. It's clear how Mercedes does that. Wingman sounds better as a teamorder. But it is nothing else in content.
If we look at the bigger picture: Is Ferrari just missing out on building a team around Vettel as it was done around Schumacher back then? You do not really support him in the World Cup fight, put him in front of Leclerc next year, although he obviously would have preferred Kimi. Which does not mean that he feels particularly well ...
Christian Danner:
The Schumacher years were in the recent Ferrari past the only days in which Ferrari was consistently ahead. Why did that work then? Jean Todt had the store completely under control both inside and out. Inwardly he has bought and outwardly he has worked politically. No matter what Schumacher did, he always stood in front of him and protected him. The same was true for Ross Brawn. If Michael wanted a brick on the rear wing, then he got it. Most of the time he knew what he wanted and then drove faster. Whether Barrichello liked it or not, they did not care.
And then you look at Ferrari today: T
hey let Sebastian hang in Monza and then said that it would be the same with Ferrari. Let's take a look at what Mercedes did in Austria: There, James Volwes made a wrong decision and Lewis Hamilton complained. Then the world's best strategist publicly flogged himself and told Lewis over the radio that he made a mistake and apologized. Just to keep the diva Hamilton happy. Mercedes knows: If Hamilton is happy, he is good. That's why they make him happy. You have to be aware of that.
At Ferrari, it's the other way round. And what does the Italian press do? Drive over Sebastian. That's never happened to Ferrari with Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne. They stuck together ironically, they had their store under control and there was only one motto: For the driver, I do everything. On the other hand, Sebastian does everything for the team and is always fair. He would have had enough opportunities to criticize the team. But he faces the team, even if there were obvious mistakes.
Vettel seems to make more mistakes without backing and with the pressure.
Christian Danner: I do not necessarily think so. He compensates a lot with risk. But I already believe that you get a Vettel in maximum form, if you give him a good feeling. At Red Bull, it was not much different, I remember Multi21. There, however, Dr. Marko then said: Vettel will be world champion and not Webber. It's not as if that had not been tried to get the Vettel in the maximum range.
Schumacher then had many people - Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne have already been addressed - from Benetton to Ferrari piloted. Did Vettel miss building up his team or is it not working anymore?
Christian Danner: That does not work anymore. Ferrari is different. And besides, you can badly implant the Red Bull team at Ferrari. You also need a Jean Todt for it. And that does not exist. Technically, that works, but even greats like James Allison and Co. always ran aground because the political head is not the right one. Instead of relieving Sebastian properly, he fights alone.
The car is good, Mattia Binotto has a good team together. The engines are going crazy! Only: If the opponent is just as good, that's not enough. Not only do I want to chop up Ferrari, they have achieved many things that many did not even dare to do. They have a more reliable and powerful engine than Mercedes and they have a car that works everywhere: in slow corners as well as in fast corners, they have found a good compromise between downforce and aerodynamic drag. You've done a lot right, but that's not enough if you want to win the World Cup.
Is there a way out? Is the title still possible?
Christian Danner: Yes, that is still possible! In the one and a half weeks between Singapore and Sochi, one hopes to sit down and think: What do we really want? Do we want to roll or do we want to become world champions? Mind you, Leclerc will not be coming until next year, and if you've calculated that Kimi will not be able to do that in the World Cup then you should come to the logical conclusion and say: If Mercedes does that, then we'll do it that way , Besides, you have to analyze the mistakes you make soberly and not emotionally.
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