In Mexico it finally happened, the frustration of a year of disappointment flooded out of Sebastian Vettel.
It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t nice to listen to, especially if you’re Charlie Whiting, but in many ways, it had to happen.
All it needed was a trigger and Max Verstappen happily obliged when he stayed ahead after shortcutting the first few corners and backed the Ferrari into the charging Daniel Ricciardo.
It was nothing Sebastian himself wouldn’t have done in the same situation but it incensed the German and Maurizio Arrivabene’s inability to say ‘Charlie said’ at the first attempt released the volcano.
The words he used and the tone of his voice weren’t meant for Whiting, his sincere apologies both spoken and written since proving that, but he was the target of a tirade that really Vettel wants to throw at Ferrari.
When he arrived at Maranello from Red Bull at the start of 2015, Vettel’s ambition was clear, to do what Michael Schumacher had done 19 years prior, move on from past success and re-invigorate the Italian team.
It was and still is his only goal left to achieve in Formula One, the issue is he is now finding out just how hard and just incredible Schumacher’s task was.
It all seemed so perfect, almost like a fairytale when he stepped in and won his second race with the team in Malaysia.
Some were already hailing Vettel and Arrivabene as the new Schumacher and Todt, but when there was real expectation Ferrari could challenge Mercedes, heading into this season, the fairytale soon ended.
It started well enough but at the Spanish Grand Prix, everything changed. With the two Mercedes’ out of the race it should have been a win for the scarlet reds, instead, it was his former team, rising from the doldrums who took home the winner’s trophy.
Vettel wasn’t even the lead Ferrari that day as Kimi Raikkonen took second behind Verstappen.
From then on, Red Bull have gradually had the edge and now we stand with Ricciardo having secured third in the Drivers’ championship, Verstappen aiming to finish fourth and Ferrari likely to finish third in the Constructors’ championship.
No wonder Vettel is angry, a team he thought was sinking into obscurity, as a result of the current engine-dominated formula, has still been able to rise and upturn Ferrari.
The thing is, however, his current team are not Red Bull in various ways, far from it. You are simply a cog in the machine of the Scuderia and any words out of line will not be tolerated.
That was much different to Red Bull where there was no history to live up to and everyone has a greater freedom of expression.
So while undoubtedly Vettel would have some very harsh words to say about Ferrari, he can’t reveal them, at least not publicly.
And perhaps that atmosphere is something he wasn’t ready for when he decided to move and maybe he does need to speak his mind to get the best from himself?
What also didn’t help Vettel’s attitude was the fuel was added to his fire by his own team boss, when he claimed the German needed to ‘earn’ a contract extension past 2017 and that he should concentrate on driving.
There was talk this caused friction between the pair, unsurprisingly, and in addition, there has been speculation Ferrari’s poor form may have put Arrivabene’s future as team boss under threat.
All of this has put significant pressure on Vettel, who still hopes to be the knight in shining armour that saves the Prancing Horse just as much as the Tifosi want him to.
He may have previously been the face of Red Bull in F1, but now he lives, eats and breathes Ferrari.
So his frustration is understandable when results don’t go as hoped and particularly when his contribution to the effort is questioned. In Mexico, it just came out in the wrong direction.
Does Vettel believe Arrivabene is leading Ferrari on the right track? Of course, we won’t find out until one or both have left their positions. Can he really fulfil his own expectations and repeat what Schumacher did with the Italian team? We’ll have to wait until 2017 and beyond to find out.
