The German Ferrari driver seems “quiet”, however “is exceptionally enthusiastic and energetic under the skin”. Wolff included: “This has influenced him to win titles before. This year, it has disappointed him.
“Lewis by differentiate has developed as an identity and as a driver and outside the car and that made him extremely solid.”
Wolff’s comments, in a select meeting for live Formula 1 audit appear, were a reference to two key occurrences that influenced Vettel’s title battle.
On Baku, Wolff said: “We immediately looked at the data to see whether you could see something like a brake test and we couldn’t see any of that.
“But Sebastian’s emotion and anger just ran away with him in that moment. He would be the first one to acknowledge if he could turn back time, he wouldn’t do it again.”
And about Singapore Wolff said: “I don’t know whether it was pressure or not. Sebastian knew that in order to score 25 points (for a win) in Singapore, he needs to lead the race after the start. And he tried to come in strong and with the lack of visibility in these cars he just triggered a chain reaction.”
The first was in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when Vettel intentionally crashed into Hamilton’s car in a red-fog minute incited by his mistaken conviction that Hamilton had given him a ‘brake test’. The second was the begin line crash in Singapore, when Vettel’s forceful swerve over the track encouraged a multi-car heap up that took out both Ferraris, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso.
The occurrences cost Vettel no less than 30 focuses in what had been until Singapore a tight fight with Hamilton.
“Emotions in his way distracted – this is my opinion – him from really driving quick and focusing on the real battles.”
Vettel said: “The one that stands out that I messed up was probably the Baku thing, which wasn’t necessary. We lost some points there.
“Did it make a difference? I don’t think it matters. Looking back it is the fact I let the team down, and it didn’t gain us anything but other than that we had a very strong year.
“Things, to be fair, here and there didn’t come together.
“Stuff like Singapore cost us massively but that sort of stuff happens. If you stop racing you might as well quit. The intention was never to not finish the race but sometimes these things happen. The other races overall we got more or less what was in the car.”
