"He can't possibly feel good about his Ferrari period"

In the Formula 1 podcast of the NOS, former F1-driver Lammers expresses his thoughts on the departure of Sebastian Vettel. Although the German certainly didn't experience his best season in 2019, the director of the Dutch Grand Prix doesn't think you should write Vettel off just like that.

"At some point, the good feeling's gone. It's not like Leclerc is better than Vettel all at once. I think all those riders, with a few exceptions, with a bit of luck could be champions."

Difference is in the character

"What you see is that all those top riders are about as fast and the difference is in their character. In the case of Vettel, he was not beaten by anyone when he was at his best at Red Bull Racing. He hasn't been that Vettel for a while and if you end up behind a newcomer [Leclerc] and have to hand in salary, good luck finding that good feeling again".

Lammers thinks that Vettel definitely has it in him to find the old Vettel back with another team. He just needs a fresh start. "I thought Leclerc was going to overtake him performance wise, but it wasn't that bad. Often times he was even faster. He just made some stupid and expensive mistakes."

Vettel has something to put right

He therefore does not think that Vettel will retire after 2020. Although he too acknowledges that this would be a logical step, he refers to the four world titles with Red Bull and the lesser period that followed as a motivation for Vettel to continue anyway. "Because he has won those championships, it is impossible for him to feel good about his Ferrari period now. He is a winner and I think he wants to put this right as much as possible. He has unfinished business.