Alex Jacques shares the ‘farcical’ situation Sebastian Vettel faced while racing for Ferrari in F1

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Ferrari have taken steps forward this season but appear set to miss out on winning either championship once again this year.

It would take a monumental effort from Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to overturn the deficit to McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship during the final six races of the season.

Leclerc is Ferrari’s best bet of winning the driver’s title, but he’s more than 80 points behind Max Verstappen ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

Ferrari last won the Constructors’ Championship in 2008 when Felipe Massa was moments away from winning his only title but scored enough points alongside Kimi Raikkonen to see off the challenge from McLaren and BMW Sauber.

Formula 1’s most successful team has tried everything to bring that drought to an end, including hiring some of the sport’s best drivers.

Fernando Alonso was let down by Ferrari during his time with the team when he was driving exceptionally against Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Ferrari then hired Vettel, although speaking on the Formula For Success Podcast, commentator Alex Jacques spoke about the struggles the four-time world champion faced when he arrived at Maranello.

Vettel was exceptional during his time at Red Bull, but Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes denied him the opportunity to win another title for the Tifosi.

Jacques has now shared the ‘farcical’ situation Vettel often faced racing for Ferrari and why he was doing more than just driving the car during each Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel was his own strategist while racing for Ferrari in Formula 1

Jacques and David Coulthard were discussing which driver in the history of F1 had the sharpest strategic mind.

Vettel’s name came up in the conversation, and Jacques said: “Well, I can see why Sebastian Vest was on that list because he had to do the strategy himself, didn’t he, sometimes?

“They’d be like, oh, we’re going to bring you in next lap. And he’s like, why? Who are we trying to undercut? What’s going on?

“The poor chap had to drive the car and almost proofread their strategy at certain points at Ferrari, which got a bit farcical in the end, didn’t it? They fixed it now.”

READ MORE: ‘Got so nasty’… When Sebastian Vettel landed himself in ‘trouble’ with Ferrari management

Jacques then shared who he thought was F1’s best strategist after Coulthard had selected Alain Prost and said: “I was going to go for Jackie Stewart purely because of reading about his mental preparation, how he emotionally prepared himself, the fact that they didn’t have the data that they have now, the fact he knew when to retire, such a key part because it was so dangerous in that era.

“I just think a great motor racing brain and part of his world championship legacy was definitely the way he was able to articulate key things at key moments.”

Sebastian Vettel still keeping a close eye on Formula 1 and Ferrari

At the beginning of the 2024 season, rumours started to circle that Vettel could make an unexpected return to the grid.

With Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari, Vettel was briefly linked with his vacant Mercedes seat, although that always seemed unlikely.

While he’s rarely spotted in the paddock, that doesn’t mean he’s not still watching F1 closely.

Oliver Bearman shared the message he received from Vettel after making his F1 debut in Jeddah this year.

The German would have understood all too well the pressure of driving for Ferrari and Bearman dealt with the pressure so well, it arguably earned him a full-time race seat for 2025.