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Sebastian Vettel won his first race with Ferrari in the 2015 F1 Malaysian GP. It was a monumental moment for the German driver, as he always dreamed of winning races with the Italian team. Legendary driver Michael Schumacher was his idol and he too wanted to start winning with the Prancing Horse.
This was not only a great moment for Vettel but also for the team's chassis technical director and designer, James Allison.
It was essentially the first race win for a James Allison-designed Ferrari car since 2004. Allison returned to the team in 2013 but only started designing cars for the team in 2014. Unfortunately, the F14 T was only able to get one podium finish through Fernando Alonso.
Coming into the 2015 F1 season, Allison designed another car with his team, which proved to be much more successful, especially for Vettel. The German driver was also starting his first season with the Italian team. In the first race in Australia, the SF15-T performed quite well, giving Vettel his first podium finish as he finished third.
Following that, the Malaysian GP was a brilliant race for the German driver. He was able to beat both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's Mercedes to win his first race with Ferrari. This was also the first win for the car designed by James Allison after returning to the scarlet team.
Hence, it is safe to say that James Allison played a vital role in Sebastian Vettel's first win at Ferrari.
Although Mercedes and its drivers dominated both championships, Sebastian Vettel had a great season at Ferrari. He finished third in the drivers' championship and the team itself finished second in the constructors' championship.
Though Allison developed the 2016 F1 car for the team as well, he left them in July after his wife's unfortunate death. He later joined Mercedes and is still working for the British team as a technical director.
Sebastian Vettel on not winning a championship with Ferrari
Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast a few months ago, Sebastian Vettel opened up about how he lost himself while focusing on the goal of winning a championship with the Italian team. He explained how he was not planning to just win some races; he was planning to win championships.
Looking back at it all, he feels that he lost himself in that process and was unable to perform at a higher level. Vettel said:
"My target was not to just win a race, I've done that. My target was to win the championship and ideally win the championship the way I wanted to win the championship, which is winning many, many races. Maybe I lost myself a little bit in that process, and maybe my races here and there weren't the finest."
One of Sebastian Vettel's dreams was to win a world championship with Ferrari. Despite being unable to fulfill this dream, his stint with the Italian team is still cherished by millions. He left a mark on the team only matched by the likes of Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Niki Lauda, and Fernando Alonso.
