Formula 1 over the years has been iconic with symbols like Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren F1 and has seen its share of up and coming stars like Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.

Old champions like Alberto Ascari followed by Michael Schumacher, and of course the late Niki Lauda, not only labeled Scuderia Ferrari as the icon of F1 but have since then kept them on the map as the “dream team”, having claimed five consecutive double titles. Nonetheless, with the current team duo of Charles LeClerc and Sebastian Vettel, that shining legacy has seemed to become just a twinkle today.

Related: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Michael Schumacher

Racing Resume

via Formula1

With 23-year-old racer Charles LeClerc as part of the current Scuderia Ferrari team along side the veteran Sebastian Vettel, hopes remain high for Scuderia Ferrari to capture another podium finish for both drivers. An optimistic view from Scuderia Ferrari executives and racing partners leaves him at the forefront of the team with continued support moving forward in the future.

On the contrary, Sebastian Vettel has experienced some lesser fortunes recently. Vettel boasts an impressive resume with Scuderia Ferrari, having earned nearly 3000 points in the F1 Circuit through his 4 World Championship wins and 53 1st Place finishes across 241 Grand Prix entered, as denoted by Formula1.

By the time Vettel was 26, he had already achieved back-to-back world titles between the years 2010 – 2013. It is no doubt that the hand chosen Vettel at the time remained the forefront of Scuderia Ferrari was destined to bring the team back to former glory.

Inside Competition

via Formula1

Now as the 2019 Formula 1 competition season has closed, Vettel finds himself in a bit of an unfamiliar spot with Scuderia Ferrari. In addition to carrying the weight of revitalizing Scuderia Ferrari’s former glory, he now must compete even harder against his own teammate – newcomer Charles LeClerc.

"LeClerc is the first man to outscore him over a season at the Scuderia – and Vettel will need to call on all his speed and experience if he’s to reassert himself over the ‘new boy’ in 2020." – F1

After an unfortunate incident during the Brazilian Grand Prix last season with teammate Charles LeClerc, Vettel and the Scuderia team were put a bit on edge moving forward with concerns about a rift between drivers. As both wanted to compete not only with the pack but with each other, it made for a sticky situation.

LeClerc finished the 2019 season 4th in the World Championship standings while Vettel took the 5th place spot. LeClerc concluded with an impressive 264 points across all 21 competitions. Vettel on the other hand, netted 240 points across 21 competitions, a subpar result when compared to the 2019 pre-season coverage based off Formula 1 insiders.

The Scuderia Ferrari team was forced to manage rivalry issues internally between the two drivers, forcing them to get the point across that although the team is in the hunt to continue to get points, they can't do that if both cars have to be retired during each race.

It became evident that the element of competition was not only outside with the rest of the racing pack, but also within with his own teammate who is just as eager to make a name for himself and the Scuderia.

Related: Formula 1: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Charles Leclerc

Outside Competition

via Formula1

New promising faces are not only emerging at the Scuderia Ferrari complex, but across other teams as well through Alexander Albon with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Lando Norris with McLaren F1. Both young stars have quickly made a name for themselves in Formula 1 with their handful of podiums, giving them the sense of confidence that they can compete at the high level.

On the contrary, there are also current stars with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team and the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team which continue to carry impressive resumes as well going into the 2021 F1 Season.

With 6-time, 3 consecutive, World Champion winner Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to winning and holding the trophy at the conclusion of the season with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1. Max Verstappen, with his 31 podiums and 8 first place finishes is another racer to watch this next season as he brings yet again his extremely competitive attitude back to the track.

As a result, Vettel now has the weight of both teammate-based competition, race-based competition and the self-based competition to find the recipe of helping not only Scuderia Ferrari out of the slump, but also himself.

Related: Here's How Lewis Hamilton Became The Most Dominant F1 Driver Today

Future at Ferrari

via Express

The future of Vettel with Scuderia Ferrari still seems a bit uncertain going into the 2020 racing season. Even with the 2020 Ferrari SF1000 model car, it still needs a driver to function and that driver could potentially be Vettel; but is the car and program enough for Vettel to reach that former glory?

Vettel also is under new contract negotiations for this upcoming F1 season which adds an additional element of deciding his future. Vettel has noted that he has a good relationship with Scuderia Ferrari and that comes with a concurrent feeling from Team Principal Mattia Binotto.

“But I think his desire is really to race at the moment. Seb is a genuine and straightforward person. He loves his job, loves really his job, and that’s one of the reasons why as well at Ferrari, we appreciate him so much.” – Mattia Binotto on continuing forward with Sebastian Vettel

Vettel’s teammate, Charles LeClerc, has already agreed to a contract through 2024 with Scuderia Ferrari which leaves the pressure on Vettel now to make his final decision, taking into account the terms disagreements of length and salary. Vettel suggested that a decision would be made to stay or go before the start of the delayed 2020 racing season regardless, still leaving the question open about whether Sebastian Vettel will truly recapture his former F1 glory.

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