Opinion | Vettel is going to regret not retiring

Vettel's downward spiral

With four world titles, 53 victories and 120 podium places, Vettel is a perfect showman for Aston Martin. The legendary brand is entering Formula 1 and will announce themselves on the grid with one of the most successful drivers in history. However, behind Vettel's mountain of statistics, there are some major problems. Those results now feel like an eternity ago.

Vettel leaves Ferrari for Aston Martin. At Ferrari, Vettel was the showman driver but after four successful seasons with Red Bull Racing, Vettel was unable to lead Ferrari to a title. In fact, it went so badly that Ferrari chose to promote Charles Leclerc to the team after just one year of Formula 1 to see if Vettel was really that good. The answer is now clear: No.

In the end, Vettel has never been able to live up to Ferrari's expectations and since Leclerc's arrival, it has only become painfully clear that Vettel is no longer among the top drivers. Leclerc, meanwhile, is only getting stronger and Vettel is getting more and more frustrated. The result: The gap between the two is getting more and more poignant.

Aston Martin the lifesavers

Now everyone pretends that it will all be different in 2021. Vettel gets bad material. The car is not tuned for him or he has lost all confidence. Of course, all made up excuses, but it is not the first time that this has happened to Vettel. Maybe it is also a bit of his own doing?

As long as Aston Martin continues to use engines from Mercedes, it will never seriously compete for the world title. The chance that Vettel can hit back with a title is slim. A podium or a victory would, of course, be nice, but does this really matter in the long term?

Thinking hypothetically, Vettel wins the teammate battle against Lance Stroll at Aston Martin. Even then no one will really be able to say that he is on top again. Stroll has lost every team duel. Felipe Massa, Sergey Sirotkin and Sergio Perez were all too strong for Stroll. So if Vettel wins, it doesn't say he has recovered. Only when he can lead Aston Martin to world titles or victories can you say that he really got something done, but otherwise there is never a value judgment to be made.

What if Vettel loses?

The other side is all the more painful. What if Vettel does lose to Stroll? An end like now at Ferrari would not have satisfactorily ended his career, but if he loses the game to Stroll and has to end his career like that, then it is only sadder. Stroll lost to everyone and would then win against the former four-time world champion.

And for those who now think that Vettel will be favoured by Aston Martin, they are of course very wrong. It has long been clear that Lawrence has a soft spot for his son and will arrange everything within the team to keep Stroll looking good. Whether that's enough to finally beat a teammate remains to be seen.

It is, therefore, a win-win situation for Aston Martin. They keep a happy Lawrence Stroll, they bring in a huge figurehead with Vettel and for Lance, he will have the ideal opportunity to learn. If he beats Vettel, he can always say that he has beaten a world champion.

For Vettel, the question is whether this will work out well. It is good for him that he has found another place, but I doubt whether this will be a worth while move. If he wins, he won't get the appreciation he might be hoping for, and if he loses, his career will fade out. Seb, what have you got to gain here?

This article was originally published on GPblog.com/nl and was created by Tim Kraaij.