Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner believes that Sebastian Vettel’s decision to depart for Ferrari wasn’t entirely surprising, claiming that he was aware of the German’s internal frustration throughout 2014.
Despite winning four straight World Championship titles, Vettel endured a torrid season this year, struggling for pace and even losing out to teammate Daniel Ricciardo in several races. That, according to Horner, ultimately meant that Vettel was always on the look for a fresh start elsewhere.
“He didn’t like what F1 had become and was quite vocal about it — didn’t like the engines, the noise, the way the car felt,” Horner told the BBC.
“He (Vettel) got very frustrated the car wasn’t doing what he wanted it to do and of course to compound that his teammate is winning a couple of races and performing at the level he was.
“It was at a time where, knowing Sebastian as well as I do, I could see he was very distracted and it was obvious something was at the back of his mind,” referring to the advanced negotiations with Ferrari.
“By the time he got to Singapore you could see he was a different person,” Horner added. “So, no, it wasn’t a great surprise in the end.”
Vettel will be partnering Kimi Raikonnen in Ferrari next year, a team that will be aiming to get back to winning ways after several years of frustration.
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