"I think Sebastian Vettel had realised he was number two in the team": When Ted Kravitz gave his verdict on Ferrari getting rid of the 4x F1 champion

Sebastian Vettel parted ways with Ferrari at the end of the 2020 F1 season, which had shaken the paddock. Sky Sports pundit Ted Kravitz had shared his take on why the driver and team alliance would fall out at the end of the season, back in 2020, by asserting that the German was now the number two driver at the team.

The four-time champion joined the Maranello-based squad after the conclusion of the 2014 season. He arrived at the team with one clear ambition: to win the drivers' title and complete his childhood dream that he had laid out when he used to watch Michael Schumacher claim world championships with the Scuderia.

In the following years, Vettel amassed 14 race wins and 12 pole positions. However, Mercedes-Lewis Hamilton's partnership was able to halt the prancing horses every time, as Ferrari's two closest chances in 2017 and 2018 went in vain.

Subsequently, Kimi Raikkonen was dropped by the Italian giant in favor of prodigy Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque's arrival saw a change of tides as Leclerc won more races than Sebastian Vettel and finished the year ahead of his teammate in the drivers' standings.

While many had expected Ferrari and Vettel's relationship to continue longer, the two announced their intentions to part ways during the pandemic-hit season. With a shockwave transcending through the F1 sphere, Ted Kravitz shared his take on the whole ordeal, and claimed that the German had realised that he was number two in the team to his young teammate (via Sky Sports):

"Then when Leclerc went on his run of pole positions and then his wins in Spa and Monza during the summer, I think Vettel had realised he was number two in the team. It wasn't the team he joined in as far as his it being his team to support him for the championship.

"But, as Vettel said, there is "no longer a common desire to stay together". Hence the split at the end of this year."

Vettel spent six years with Ferrari in his pursuit to win the drivers' title, before moving on to Aston Martin, where he spent two years before bidding adieu to the sport.

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Sebastian Vettel once admitted how it was shameful that his and Ferrari's relationship didn't flourish

Sebastian Vettel at the 2025 Race Of Champions in Sydney, Australia - Source: Getty

Sebastian Vettel was the biggest name on the grid at one point, owing to his impressive championship-winning streak with Red Bull between 2010-13. But the Austrian giant plummeted down the field with the advent of the turbo-hybrid era of regulations.

With Ferrari lurking in the background, Vettel decided to jump ship and try to fulfil his dream. On the contrary, this dream never materialised, and the four-time champion admitted in 2020 that it was a shame that it never worked out for him and the Scuderia (via Sky Sports):

"I wanted this to work for myself more than for Michael [Schumacher], if you see what I mean. It is a shame it didn't work out but I'm also old enough and mature enough to know why and see the reasons and move on. That's the truth."

Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel could make a return to the F1 paddock, but on the operations side, he is currently in talks with Red Bull for a possible role.