Sebastian Vettel says that he would still encourage Mick Schumacher to join Ferrari in the future, despite not achieving the "great success" he hoped for during his own stint with the team. Vettel's relationship with the Scuderia had a promising start in 2015, with the German winning three races in his debut year following his switch from Red Bull. He was also able to contend for the title in 2017 and 2018. However, thing began to sour in 2019, a year in which Vettel only won one Grand Prix. 2020 proved to be a particularly challenging season for the Italian squad, and Vettel finished down in 13th in the Drivers' Championship with just 33 points to his name. As well as having an uncompetitive car, Ferrari also faced the difficult situation of Vettel knowing before the season had even started that he was being replaced by Carlos Sainz for 2021. Vettel has gone to drive for Aston Martin.
"The positive outweighs the negative"
His time at the Scuderia may not have ended well, but this does not mean that Vettel would advise his friend and compatriot Schumacher against racing for the team. When asked whether he would encourage Schumacher to join Ferrari, Vettel told F1-Insider : "Yes, absolutely. Even though I didn't have any great success there. "But I still had some good years. And the brand will always be something special. In any case, I wouldn't advise him against it because of the few things that didn't work out so well for me. "People tend to always see the glass half empty in memories. I prefer to see it half full and the positive outweighs the negative. "Too much grumbling is misplaced, because all in all, we Formula 1 drivers are all doing very well." It was recently announced that Schumacher will step up to become one of Ferrari's reserve drivers in 2022 , a role he will hold alongside his full-time race seat with Haas.
Schumacher "ready to go his own way"
Vettel has been on hand to support Schumacher during the latter's debut season in F1, having previously been friends with the rookie's famous father, Michael Schumacher. The two drivers enjoy spending time together, and will soon become teammates at the 2022 Race of Champions event . However, Vettel denies that he felt any responsibility towards Schumacher when he entered the sport, as he feels that the 22-year-old is able to follow his own path. "Of course, the bond through Michael is there," Vettel explained. "But Mick comes from a very good family. "He's a very sensible, well-mannered young man who is now ready to go his own way. He's doing that very well. His work ethic reminds me of his father. "I sincerely wish him a car with which he can make more of a mark next year. But I am more a friend than someone who feels responsibility. "You are always there for friends. That's why I have zero competitive thoughts towards him and am happy to pass on my experience. "I'm not the type who weighs everything up in a paranoid way anyway, in order to have my own advantages and play games. It also doesn't make sense to me to withhold certain things from teammates. "I rather see the big picture, that we want to progress as a team. Today we are able to see everything transparently through data anyway."
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