An open letter to Sebastian Vettel

The Imola GP was a stern reminder to anyone who had doubts over Sebastian Vettel's ability to drive a Formula 1 car. And it was in a way the motivation behind this piece because, after watching the first two races of the season as a fan of the sport and of Vettel in particular, we feel, he needs to hear this!

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An open letter to Sebastian Vettel

Hello Sebastian Vettel,

We have followed your career ever since you sneaked up on F1 fans in the US GP 2007. We have seen you being termed "Baby Schumi" by everyone in the paddock when you won your first ever race in Monza. We have also seen you being termed "Crashkid" by Martin Whitmarsh in 2010 and then not giving up after so many heartbreaks and DNFs to ultimately become the youngest ever F1 champion.

We have seen you become the "Fingerboy" because of that irritating, wagging finger whenever you score a pole position or a win and dominate the entire field into submission in 2013 when you won 9 races in a row. We have seen you lose interest at Red Bull in 2014 and then dance like a child when you won just your second race in a Ferrari in 2015.

We have seen you lose your temper against Lewis Hamilton in Baku in 2017 and be completely distraught at Ferrari in 2020. We have seen you realize that your dream to emulate your idol at the Prancing Horse will never come true, and still being gracious, although a bit sad through all of that.

At Aston Martin in the last two years, we have seen you score two podiums for the team. At Imola this season, we have seen you drag the uncompetitive Aston Martin to points in conditions where driving ability can make a difference. After watching you through all of this, we only have one thing to say to you!

DON'T RETIRE

Yes, you read it right. This weekend, like almost every other weekend, there were questions raised over your future within the sport. The answers you gave were not those of a driver who is convinced or determined that he wants to stay in the sport beyond this season. The answers were of someone whose future was dependent on how much improvement Aston Martin could show this season.

The answers were of someone who loved Formula 1 but at the same time was content with what he has achieved in the sport. Now, we must say, four world championships and more than 50 wins in a Formula 1 career is not shabby at all. Even if you decide to call it off today, you will go down as a Formula 1 legend. The question though is not what you have already achieved, the question is whether there is more you can achieve? The question is whether you are still capable of driving a Formula 1 car fast and beyond the limit?

You are still a very good driver

And that's where we have to say, yes. Sebastian Vettel, as a Formula 1 driver, is still capable of driving a car as fast as it could go. Now, can you qualify a car on the pole? Well, you just dragged the 9th fastest car on the grid into Q3.

Can you win another Formula 1 race? Well, you almost won a race last season in Hungary, sure you can do it. Now, the big one, can Sebastian Vettel win the Formula 1 title again? This is where we have to be as honest as we have been until now.

For any driver to win an F1 championship, he needs a lot of things to go his way. He needs to be fast, he needs to have the right car under him, he needs to be mentally strong and consistent, there needs to be an element of luck and most importantly, he needs to have the right team behind him.

You, Sebastian Vettel, have shown that you are fast. We can't question the mental strength of a driver who came from behind to win two titles against Fernando Alonso. As a driver, you can only hope to have the right people behind you and the right car underneath you.

The reason we stopped short of claiming that Sebastian Vettel can win the title again is because we have not seen the kind of consistency that makes any F1 driver a top driver. You have a very high peak in terms of performance, maybe a peak that is as good as some of the best on the grid.

In the last two years at Aston Martin, however, you have not been consistent enough. Is it because of the car? Is it because of the consistent glitches one might face while driving that car? It is possible that that could be the case, but as they say: 'the proof is in the pudding'.

And unless we see that consistency from you, we can't consider Sebastian Vettel a credible championship threat. Having said that, we have fairly established the case that you have not lost your ability to drive a Formula 1 car, far from it in fact.

Regardless, what was concerning was you hinging your future on Aston Martin's ability to produce a good car. To be honest, the Aston Martin project does not bring too much optimism. Lawrence Stroll has turned a team that would use minimal resources to produce impressive results into a team that has no shortage of resources but can't get its act together.

There might be options opening up!

However, this is where we would suggest that you disassociate your future from that of Aston Martin. Why? For if you look carefully, there might be a possibility of a few top seats opening up at the end of next season. If we talk about Red Bull, it's fair to say that the Verstappen-Perez combination might just be the pairing that the team is going to stick with for a while. At Ferrari as well, the combination of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc has been signed and sealed for some time now.

So that's two top teams out of the way. When we look beyond that, however, things do get interesting. Both McLaren and Mercedes will have seats open at the end of the 2023 season with Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton's contracts ending then.

Will we see Hamilton race beyond 2023? He will be close to 40 at that stage and someone as multi-faceted and successful as he is, he might want to explore life beyond the sport. Similarly, for Ricciardo, someone who is no longer the center of attention at McLaren, will he be looking to prolong his stay in the team or look for a different challenge?

How does Sebastian Vettel, a Mercedes driver, or, Sebastian Vettel, a McLaren driver, sound to you? It is possible that at the end of the 2023 season, there might be two seats available at the top teams. If you can continue to perform at the level you did at Imola, then an experienced, fast, former world champion is not a bad option for either of the two teams.

If you're willing to wait for another season, there could be a chance that you land another opportunity to challenge for wins and podiums. All you need to do is sign a one-year extension with Aston Martin with possibly another year as an option. This will put you in a prime position to take advantage of any potential openings that could be there next season.

In the end, it's Sebastian Vettel's choice!

There was one thing that we felt when you gave your answers to the media: contentment. Those were the statements of a man who was proud of what he had achieved in his career and was content if he did not get another chance to do it.

Now, if that is the case, then the fire that drove you to become, Sebastian Vettel, one of the most successful drivers in the history of the sport, that fire is not burning anymore. Is that the case? We don't think anyone other than you can answer that question.

In the end, it's your choice! if you want to wait and have a shot at tasting that champagne again, there is a clear path to where you can make that happen. If the fire is not burning and you do not wish to continue, then, at the end of the season, all we can do is thank you, Sebastian Vettel, for being one of the best drivers of your generation and more than that, one of the greatest ambassadors our sport can ever ask for.