Sebastian Vettel was ‘never in same class’ as F1 rival Lewis Hamilton

Horner and Newey praise Vettel's impact on Red Bull Racing

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One month after calling time on an illustrious Formula 1 career, Sebastian Vettel has been told he could never be put on par with Lewis Hamilton. That’s according to F1 insider Peter Windsor, who has suggested Vettel never showed the same adaptability across his decade-and-a-half in the sport to be judged in the same class.

The German is one of only four drivers to have clinched four world titles in as many seasons, spearheading Red Bull’s first era of sustained success between 2010 and 2013. Two runner-up finishes with Ferrari was the best he managed after leaving Milton Keynes, however, before calling time on his career on the back of an underwhelming stint at Aston Martin.

That’s convinced former Williams team manager Windsor that Vettel doesn’t belong in the same conversation as Mercedes ace Hamilton, who was crowned world champion in just his second season at McLaren. The Briton has since gone on to tie Michael Schumacher’s record of seven F1 titles, albeit finishing a career-worst sixth at the end of a miserable 2022 campaign.

“I always thought Vettel was a very reflexy, very fast, very well-balanced driver who, even in his testing for Sauber days, was nothing other than the ultimate exponent of turning the corner into a V shape,” said Windsor during a recent Twitch stream. “And when he couldn’t do that because of the geography of the corner, he was about the same as the average [driver], but when he could do it on a particular type of corner, he was brilliant and had that ability to do it.

“And he had that at Red Bull, when he had that amazing grip at the rear, blown diffuser and everything else. When that went away in the regulations in his last year at Red Bull, he became just an ordinary racing driver and actually struggled against Daniel Ricciardo. It was obvious then that that’s how he was exposed.”

He went on to say Vettel “never got any better” after leaving for Ferrari in 2015, having dropped to fifth in the standings in his last year with Red Bull. That inability to attain title-winning success for multiple teams may be one factor stopping some fans and pundits from crediting Vettel as being quite in the same calibre as some of his fellow legends.

Windsor also referenced Vettel’s infamous collision with Hamilton at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix—where the German claimed his ex-rival had ‘brake tested’ him during a Virtual Safety Car—as a mark against his reputation. However, he did give the retired star some credit in the form of a comparison with a different F1 icon.

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“I never would have put him in the same class as Lewis,” added the Australian. “Maybe, if he’s got a really good back end on the car, I’d put him up there with Fernando [Alonso] – but if he’s got a wayward back end and not a lot of grip [he’s in trouble].

“Overall, throw a bit of crosswind at Seb, throw a bit of crosswind at Fernando, throw a bit of oil on the track, throw a bit of tyres going off – Fernando’s always going to do a better job [than Vettel] with all the variables up in the air. Seb is very locked into what he does well.”

At 35, Vettel has achieved less in the sport despite being three years Hamilton’s junior. That being said, the veteran deserves huge credit for using his platform to raise awareness for causes that need it at almost every opportunity, which one could argue is the greater achievement.

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