Former racing engineer Ferrari: "There was a lot of pressure on Vettel in 2019"

At Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel has not been able to achieve the things he had hoped to achieve. The German had dreamed of winning world championships with the Italian team, but in the end he never managed to beat the Mercedes car over an entire season. Nevertheless Rob Smedley thinks Vettel is a very good driver, who belongs on the F1 grid.

The former Ferrari racing engineer thinks Vettel has had a good year. "I think he's a great driver. In addition, I think 2019 has been his strongest Formula 1 season so far", Smedley says at F1 Nation. Vettel proved to be a good driver in 2019, but eventually had to acknowledge his superior in Charles Leclerc, his younger teammate who drove his first year at Ferrari.

"I think by the end of the year we saw a Sebastian Vettel who had lost something. I'm sure he would honestly admit that at the beginning of the year he wasn't where he wanted to be, both in the team and in his relationship with his teammate. But he fought back and that's what a real champion can do". Despite the difficult course of 2019, Smedley remains confident in Vettel.

"Undoubtedly, Sebastian was also under tremendous pressure, probably the greatest pressure ever for him. He's kept many strong teammates under control, and he's always had the power. The challenge of the 2019 season for Vettel was a huge one. I think it's very special that he's continued and regained his strength after a difficult start," Smedley concluded.