Before making the radical switch to Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel contemplated simply quitting formula one. That is the claim of Christian Horner, who as Red Bull team boss witnessed first-hand the German driver's slide from four consecutive world titles to the struggles of 2014.
Last year, Vettel notably struggled to adapt to the sport's new V6-powered format, and failed to stand even once at the top of the podium while teammate Daniel Ricciardo won three grands prix. "You could tell he (Vettel) wasn't happy," Horner told reporters on Tuesday as he presented to the media Red Bull's new lineup of Ricciardo alongside Russian youngster Daniil Kvyat.
"There was that feeling 'am I (Vettel) enjoying this as much as I thought I was?'" Horner explained. "It was like someone had taken his toy away. He went through a period of disillusionment about the direction formula one was going in. There was a stage last year when he thought about whether he wanted to stop or not, whether he was getting the same level of enjoyment or not and whether or not he wanted to continue," he added.
Horner said Vettel, 27, ultimately got to grips with the 'new' F1, but also true is that the German had been in the process of deciding to switch to Ferrari for 2015. "I think Sebastian felt the timing was right in his career," he said. "He needed that stimulus of a new challenge."
However, not everyone in the paddock is convinced Ferrari is the forum for Vettel to rekindle his passion, especially given the turmoil that has taken place at Maranello in the past months. Niki Lauda, the team chairman at Mercedes, said Mercedes' current dominance was not born overnight, and "even for Ferrari it will take four years".
And if there are signs that Ferrari's revival might even take longer, "then Sebastian will start to feel the pressure, the politics, the media, which at Ferrari is twice as bad as it is at Red Bull," the F1 legend told Auto Motor und Sport. (GMM)
Vettel pondered quitting F1 last year - Horner
- Published on 28 Jan 2015 13:42
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
Antonelli's Miami Win Gives Mercedes a Historic Podium RecordAndrea Kimi Antonelli's victory in Miami was not just another win in a dominant run of results. It also moved Mer...
07 May 2026 14:19 -
Red Bull Admit the Weight Problem Was Fixed Too Late but Promise More Progress by AustriaMax Verstappen knew something was wrong with the RB22 from the very first lap of the season. Red Bull have now formal...
07 May 2026 12:14 -
Analyst Says Mercedes Need to Intervene With RussellGeorge Russell blamed the Miami circuit for not suiting his driving style after a difficult weekend that ended with a...
07 May 2026 11:13 -
Horner Rules Out Alpine Return and Compares Marquez to VerstappenChristian Horner has been out of Formula 1 since Red Bull removed him from his team principal role last year, and he ...
07 May 2026 13:18 -
Red Bull See Progress After Miami and Tell Verstappen They Are on the Right TrackMax Verstappen finished fifth in Miami, which by the standards of his first three weekends of 2026 represented real f...
07 May 2026 10:11
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
Driver profile
- Team Visa Cash App RB
- Points 1,061
- Podiums 24
- Grand Prix 188
- Country AU
- Date of b. Jul 1 1989 (36)
- Place of b. Perth, AU
- Weight 64 kg
- Length 1.75 m
- 190,930 comments on Visa Cash App RB
24 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Daniel Ricciardo
Team profile
- Team name Ferrari
- Base Maranello, Italy
- Kimi Räikkönen 1
- Michael Schumacher 1
- Michael Schumacher 1
- Felipe Massa 2
- Fernando Alonso 3
- Felipe Massa 3
- Michael Schumacher 3
- Felipe Massa 4
- Kimi Räikkönen 4
- Sebastian Vettel 5
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Felipe Massa 5
- Michael Schumacher 5
- Michael Schumacher 5
- Felipe Massa 6
- Felipe Massa 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 6
- Felipe Massa 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 7
- Felipe Massa 7
- Fernando Alonso 8
- Fernando Alonso 14
- Charles Leclerc 16
- Gerhard Berger 28
- Gerhard Berger 28
- Lewis Hamilton 44
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- 507,871 comments on Ferrari
- 283 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Ferrari
Replies (0)
Login to reply