Ralf Schumacher Believes Sebastian Vettel May Lose No 1 Status at Ferrari

According to former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel may lose his status as Ferrari’s lead driver. This revelation comes on the back of a disappointing British Grand Prix for Vettel. The German driver slammed into the back of Max Verstappen and almost took both of them out of the race.

Meanwhile, teammate Charles Leclerc racked up his 4th consecutive podium at Silverstone. All this was in spite of titanic battles with Pierre Gasly and Verstappen, from which, everyone emerged unscathed.

Afterwards, a repentant Sebastian Vettel apologised to Verstappen when the race was over. However, it worth noting that this incident is the latest in a series of mistakes that Vettel has committed in the past year.

Schumacher Jr is concerned that Sebastian Vettel cannot produce the same level of excitement that Verstappen and Leclerc can deliver. With LeClerc’s star quickly rising, there is a fear that he may soon be handed priority status.

“Two young drivers are duelling but one of the older ones in Sebastian cannot manage it. That should not be happening to him,” Schumacher admitted on Sky Deutschland.

“Sebastian has to be careful not to lose his number-one status. He almost has and Charles is not making it easy for him.”

Ahead of Silverstone, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto revealed that since Sebastian Vettel is higher in the championship, he is still the Numero Uno.

Unfortunately, with the 4-time world champion finishing in a lowly 16th in Britain, things may change. The 32-year old is now just three points ahead of Leclerc in fourth place in the drivers’ championship.

Many would be under the impression that Charles LeClerc’s arrival has placed a lot of pressure on Vettel and made him susceptible to mistakes. However, the truth is, Vettel has been making such mistakes ever since 2018, even when Kimi Raikkonen was his teammate.