After Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc were very evenly matched throughout the 2019 F1 season, fans were surprised to see a large disparity in pace emerge between the Ferrari team-mates this year.
This prompted speculation that Ferrari were deliberately sabotaging Vettel or not giving him the same machinery as Leclerc, as the German was set to depart the team at the end of 2020.
READ: Sebastian Vettel Praises Charles Leclerc, Says He Learned From Him
Vettel had the bulk of his success in Formula One with Red Bull Racing, and he remains close to Dr Helmut Marko, a senior team advisor.
In an interview on Thursday, Dr Marko refused to comment on speculation that Ferrari deliberately gave Leclerc an advantage over Sebastian Vettel in 2020, but he said the four-time World Champion’s performances were often not what you would expect from him.
“I can’t say,” Dr Marko said when asked for his thoughts on the speculation, adding that Vettel “made far too many mistakes of his own”, and his driving skills last season “were very often not Vettel-level”.
Continuing, he said: “I think it is an uncertainty that began in my eyes with the crash in Hockenheim, 2018, while in the lead. Arrivabene was still team boss at that time. From then on, the relationship with Ferrari deteriorated.”
Dr Marko added that he hopes Vettel can rediscover his previous form when he joins Aston Martin Racing next season.
READ: Red Bull Explain Why They Didn’t Sign Sebastian Vettel Instead Of Perez