April 27, 2014

Four races into the 2014 Formula 1 season and the start has been less than impressive for the quadruple world champion, who entered the season with a record nine wins in a row in 2013. A retirement in Australia, an inspiring third place in Malaysia, A respectable sixth in Bahrain followed by a disappointing sixth after qualifying third in China sees Sebastian Vettel in uncharted territory and at risk of failing to retain his title for the fifth year running.

The problems facing Vettel and the Red Bull team relate to the revolutionary new engine regulations in force this season, in which turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 units replace normally aspirated 2.4-litre V8s. The move has put a heavy onus on cooling the Energy Recovery System (ERS) and turbocharger units which generate around 160bhp for around 33 seconds per lap. Reliability was expected to be a major concern with this change, and this was confirmed during winter testing in January and February. The Renault-powered engines struggled the most and were far behind the Mercedes-powered teams, with Vettel’s car having battery problems related to the ERS unit.

Problems continued through winter testing and into the first round of the season. Vettel struggled early on in Australia and was forced to retire after just three failures due to engine trouble. Two weeks later in Malaysia, Red Bull moved the car forward and Vettel made a strong push to finish third, but was still far off the pace, finishing 24.5sec behind race winner Lewis Hamilton. Problems with straight line speed in Bahrain and China resulted in Vettel finishing sixth in both races and behind new teammate Daniel Ricciardo in both races.

There is no denying the talent and skill of Vettel, who broke records; however, Formula 1 fans turned against him in 2013 complaining that his dominance made the sport boring. He was repeatedly greeted with boos at the podium and his sympathy dwindled, for no reason other than that he was unbeatable. This year, Vettel’s dominance is no longer there, as he battles the seemingly unbeatable Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, and battles Ricciardo, who is faster and possibly hungrier than him.

So what does the rest of 2014 hold for the world champion? Red Bull has certainly made more progress with Vettel’s car than originally anticipated at this stage of the season. To have any points on the board for Vettel seems like a small miracle after his problem plagued the winter testing sessions. But there is still a long way to go before Vettel is competitive not only against Mercedes, but also against his new teammate.

This year the world champion faces the biggest challenge of his career to date as he struggles to adapt to and understand the new generation of cars while repeatedly being outclassed by a new teammate. Vettel had an advantage over his former team-mate Mark Webber, but Ricciardo is no pushover and has quickly shown the world that he has earned his place at Red Bull. Vettel is frustrated and his frustration is reflected in his driving.

This year his car has a lower level of downforce than he is used to and he is still not comfortable in the RB10. However, unlike previous years in which updates later in the season worked in its favor, this year there doesn’t seem to be a way for Red Bull to replicate the level of downforce that Vettel prefers, and it is struggling to adapt its driving style to suit the new car with lower grip.

Winning builds confidence, but losing builds character, and Vettel faces a real test of character at the moment. He has yet to succeed in Formula 1 with an uncompetitive car and faces both a physical and mental battle to get used to the new car and gain an advantage over Ricciardo. Vettel would certainly rather win than lose, however losing is instructive as it is losses that lead to improvement and a greater desire to succeed. As Winston Churchill said: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; what counts is the courage to continue.”

History dictates that anything can happen in Formula 1. In 2010, when Vettel won his first championship, the first five races of the season yielded five different winners, with Vettel himself winning just four races with an additional six podium finishes to earn his first title. If Vettel defies the odds and stages the comeback of all comebacks to win a fifth straight title this year, critics can no longer say he won just because he drove the fastest car. He will come out as a champion and few will be able to doubt him and his ability. But if Red Bull’s problems persist and Vettel continues to fight for podium finishes this year, then he will learn a lot about himself. The challenges he faces this season are character building and will ultimately make him a better driver and much tougher competitor. After all, a true champion can adapt to anything.