Ecclestone: Hamilton causes Vettel 'mental block'
Bernie Ecclestone says that despite Sebastian Vettel's four titles, the German remains "underestimated".
Many are predicting that the arrival at Ferrari of Charles Leclerc is basically the end of the Vettel era.
But former F1 supremo Ecclestone, who remains friends with the 31-year-old, told Sport Bild: "Formula one needs a Sebastian who wins.
"People underestimate him. He will find a way out of the low he's in.
"I've thought a lot about it, because I really like Sebastian and he is my friend.
"He often makes silly mistakes when he's fighting Lewis. It's like a mental block for him.
"Sebastian really respects Lewis and wants to do better than him. In Bahrain, he could have overtaken him later because his car was faster," Ecclestone said.
He thinks Vettel has the ability to win as many titles as Michael Schumacher did, but he also says Hamilton is on track to do that as well.
"He's in great shape," Ecclestone said of Hamilton. "Formula one is basically Lewis' hobby, he's really comfortable."
But he doubts Hamilton will replace Vettel at Ferrari.
"I don't think he'll change teams now," he said. "I think if Mercedes stop in 2020, Lewis will stop as well."
As for F1's 1000th race in Shanghai this weekend, Ecclestone said he will be barracking for Vettel from London.
"He's got the car for it," he said.
"When I talked to him about the German grand prix last year, he said he could have done the race 20 times over and not repeated that mistake. He really wants to win another title.
"But I'm not sure Charles Leclerc is ready to help him."
And he thinks that once Vettel leaves Ferrari, he will leave F1 as well.
"He won't change teams, he will end his career," Ecclestone said. "And I think not much is needed for that to happen.
"Sebastian has a happy family life and does not want formula one to put him out of balance."
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I think that Vettel is under Hamilton's spell and sure enough Seb doesn't resist when Lewis overtakes him and there have been times when Seb's Ferrari appeared to be better than Lewis's Mercedes and still Seb could not defend his position . The question is : will he be able to resist Leclerc who does not want to stay behind if his car is quicker and we know that Charles is not keen to take orders?I just expect to see fair treatment of Vettel regardless of how well he performs.This season we could have at least 4 contenders for the title and we are just at the beginning and nobody knows what could happen later. We need Seb and without him F1 would be far less amusing and we greatly enjoy his sense of humour. Besides, we should not question his driving skill and ability to win races, so let him get on with his task to get back to the top!
I’ve no doubt Seb will bounce back. Lewis is the class of the field IMHO and in equal machinery would likely outperform anyone on the grid over the course of a season but if Ferrari can give Seb a car that is marginally quicker ( even just a tenth or two) and easier to drive he will regain his confidence and could level the WDC count this year. As for Charles he’s had a really strong last race and was unlucky not to win but F1 is a funny business and I’d doubt he will run rings around a four time world champion in his second season in F1. Personally I think F1 is a better place with Seb in it and a fast Seb is better for everyone and the spectacle.