Ferrari should've done more to help "too human" Vettel
Ex-Ferrari Formula 1 test driver Luciano Burti believes his former team did not do enough to ease the pressure on Sebastian Vettel during the 2018 season.

Vettel's 2018 title challenge gradually unravelled after he slid off track and into the wall while leading the German Grand Prix.
In an interview in an upcoming episode of The Autosport Podcast, Burti – who commentates on F1 for Brazilian broadcaster TV Globo – suggested former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt would have helped Vettel avoid compounding the error with further mistakes in the second half of the season.
“It was a really tiny mistake, which happens, and he was unlucky it happened in the wrong time and the wrong place and had a big consequence,” Burti told Motorsport.com.
“From then on, I really think that someone like Jean Todt would give him good feedback.
“I think Vettel felt maybe on his own to fight back from his mistake.
“Once you have that pressure, if you say as a racing driver ‘I cannot make a mistake on the next lap or the next corner’, you make a mistake. Once I think about it, that’s it.
“I think that’s what happened to him. Although he’s a great champion, he’s too human and when you have those feelings it doesn’t do you any good.
“He was on his own and someone like Jean would have made the difference to put him back on track, because it’s not normal to see a four-times champion to make so many mistakes, and silly mistakes sometimes.”
Burti, who raced in Formula 1 for Jaguar and Prost, tested for Ferrari from 2002-2004 during Todt’s stint at its helm.
He suggests Ferrari’s leadership in recent years has not been as effective under current team principal Maurizio Arrivabene as it was during its run of success in the early years of the 21st century.
“Maybe Ferrari lost a little bit the leadership that Jean used to give,” said Burti.
“I worked with Stefano Domenicali he was a really good guy, I don’t know what the team was when he was team principal [from 2008-2014] but after he left Ferrari never got the rhythm that it used to.
“I know a little bit about Arrivabene when I was there because he was with Philip Morris and he wasn’t, in my view, a good leader because he was not sympathetic, he was always very distant from us and I never got the understanding why."

Maurizio Arrivabene, Ferrari Team Principal
Photo by: Jean Petin / Sutton Images

Previous article
F1 tech review: How Ferrari fell short after getting on top
Next article
Happiness key to Hamilton's form, says Wolff

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Drivers | Sebastian Vettel , Luciano Burti |
Teams | Ferrari |
Author | Edd Straw |
Ferrari should've done more to help "too human" Vettel
The Silver Arrows Story: Mercedes W09
Scuderia Ferrari Filming Day Backstage Footage
Back to Work | Valtteri Bottas' 2021 Seat Fit
F1 Explained | Mercedes Power Unit
The big questions of F1 2021 - Karun Chandhok
After an unprecedented season last year, there are plenty of questions and storylines for the upcoming Formula 1 campaign. Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok gives his verdict.
How McLaren F1’s new investors have already made an impact
The deal McLaren concluded with MSP Sports Capital last year which will help the cash-strapped Formula 1 team pay for much-needed infrastructure upgrades, also points toward the future for F1 itself, says GP Racing's Stuart Codling.
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year