F1 mechanic on where it went wrong for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari amid missed title opportunities. Modesto Menabue reflects on where it went wrong for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari.

After winning four consecutive Formula 1 world titles with Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel decided to join Maranello in 2015. He arrived with expectations as the man capable of bringing the championship back to Italy. A mission failed and concluded at the end of 2020, with 14 victories and two narrowly missed world titles in six years: in 2017 and 2018. Championships were within reach but lost due to negative circumstances, such as reliability issues, driver or team errors.

These elements effectively ended the love story between Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari, leaving a bitter taste for fans who had believed and hoped to see the German win with the Scuderia. Unmet expectations led enthusiasts to wonder over the years what really went wrong in those seasons. Questions answered by someone who lived through those years in the Ferrari garage, working alongside Sebastian Vettel, as a mechanic: Modesto Menabue, a technician which was recently interviewed by the editorial team of the Italian website Formula1.it.

The technician expressed his perspective on Sebastian Vettel’s ‘failure’ with the Scuderia, claiming that the Maranello team’s support in helping the driver in his intense battle against Hamilton was what didn’t work.

“I believe that the team’s efforts to help him didn’t work. In Ferrari, there’s no mentality of saying, ‘after 5 GPs, let’s focus on who’s ahead in the standings.’ Team games exist, the English teach them. Formula 1 was born in England, not in Maranello as some believe. In 2017, the problems started in Singapore at the start: we could have won; it needed to be managed.” – the Italian engineer pointed out.

Lack of support, in 2017, resulted in wasting points in races where there was a car superiority, as in Singapore: a Grand Prix where a wet start without clear orders led Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen to collide, serving Lewis Hamilton victory on a silver platter. This result was followed by another DNF for the German driver in Suzuka, due to reliability issues.

“At Suzuka, as the car was approaching the grid, on the radio, they said to raise the hood and fix the issue. I opened the radio, without being heard, saying there wasn’t time to change the spark plug. And we couldn’t. Another heavy DNF.” – he admitted.

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Even in 2018, Maranello couldn’t fight for the championship, this time due to errors made by Vettel himself: notably, the Hockenheim mistake when, heading for victory in the rain, Seb lost control of his car, crashing into the barriers, registering a very costly zero points, as Lewis Hamilton won. Modesto Menabue commented on the incident, explaining what happened years later, excluding technical problems on SF71H number 5.

“There was a car superiority. I believe he had a loss of concentration. The engineer warned him not to push via radio, but in the end, he pushed and went off. Another championship thrown away.”

A loss of concentration possibly due to pressure from Lewis Hamilton, a driver which Sebastian Vettel struggled to fight against, unlike Verstappen, as Max demonstrated in 2021.

“I believe Hamilton was a struggle for Seb, unlike Verstappen, as Max showed in 2021.”

Finally, Modesto Menabue talked about Sebastian Vettel’s last years with the Scuderia. Years on the decline due to the perceived “marginalization” by the German, the arrival of Charles Leclerc, and the departure of Maurizio Arrivabene.

“After 2018, Vettel felt on the sidelines: the team was betting on Charles, and Arrivabene, his supporter, had left.” – the Italian concluded.