F1 | Vettel's revenge is the dark side of the Force, as long as Wolff has courage

Sebastian Vettel's retirement at the end of 2020 would be a sad epilogue to a truly brilliant career, a farewell that in the imagination would pass as the defeat of a champion returning from an unfinished mission, dumped by the Ferrari he loved so much.

Beyond the most personal judgments on this or that driver, it is a fact that Ferrari made a precise choice, dictated by logic and pragmatism. Charles Leclerc is a raging river ready to sweep away everything and everyone, he impressed the team to such an extent that Binotto decided to hand over the keys and destinies of the team to him.

It therefore goes without saying that Vettel, all things considered, comes out very badly. Beaten and downsized, from the height of his four world titles and 53 GPs won. Which suddenly no longer counted for anything “Because we and Sebastian realized that we no longer agreed on the objectives, and it was right to part ways” so Binotto.

Unfortunately we cannot measure the sacred fire of passion for racing that still flows in Sebastian, but it is clear that if the love for F1 still flares up then the German should not give up like this, accepting to leave the scene torn to pieces, downgraded and outclassed by a young man.

At just 32 years old, Vettel should still have the desire to show how much he is worth and how successful he can be and, why not, he should look to Mercedes who have never hidden a certain interest from him. However, the ball passes to Toto Wolff, the best team principal of the Circus, capable of putting together the perfect team, the world-beating battleship, the perfect pairing with the living legend Lewis Hamilton.

The Austrian manager has always winked at Vettel, and the dream of turning the table by forming a fantastic pairing, Hamilton and Vettel, two opponents who deeply respect each other, must have crossed his mind, if he declared in the heat of the moment : “It's difficult not to think about a Vettel free on the market." Just as Mercedes, after having done it with Rosberg, would not disdain winning with a German driver.

Sebastian, Jedi Knight betrayed by the Cavallino, could let himself go to the dark side of the Force, that Mercedes probably eager to flaunt the hiring of a German champion, with or without Lewis Hamilton, whose renewal is a very probable but not certain hypothesis. The dream team dream is a thrilling suggestion, with a dominant single-seater it would then be pure spectacle, but the hypothesis of a change between Hamilton and Vettel also has its charm, especially from the perspective of an all-German combination.

For Sebastian, with or without Lewis, it would still be important to secure the Stuttgart seat, hold the most coveted steering wheel, transform the desire for revenge and wounded pride into competitive anger. Because Vettel is still the one who took pole at Suzuka and maybe someone should also remind him of that. Better to go to the dark side than retreat like that. Sports revenge after all has its reason and it would be a nice chapter of F1 to enjoy. Epic. Stellar…

Antonino Rendina

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