Ferrari made a bold decision in deciding to end its association with Sebastian Vettel at the end of the 2020 season.
In the Netflix documentary Drive to Survive, we are given a sneak preview into how Ferrari prepared at its home race in Monza.
A team meeting is held, which is hosted by Silvia Hodder, the head of communications. Here, the discussion pans to Vettel’s move to join Aston Martin for the 2021 season.
Ferrari was even scared that Vettel could spoil the team’s landmark Grand Prix.
“Hoffer tells the drivers that she has had a lot of enquiries about the timing of the announcement, given it came on the eve of Ferrari’s 1000th Grand Prix in Tuscany,” a Formula 1 report stated.
“Her reasoning is that the timing was down to a reaction to Sergio Perez announcing he was leaving the team. ‘Yes, and it’s the truth as well,’ replies Vettel.”
A challenging campaign for Ferrari has been documented well in the show, encompassing everything that happened with Vettel and its horror show with regards to its engine and legal issues.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner, too, appears in the show to give his opinion of the timing of Vettel’s Aston Martin announcement.
“There’s then a cut to an interview with Horner, who isn’t shy about commenting. ‘Timing tells you everything, he couldn’t have picked a more inappropriate time but I guess he was pissed off,'” states the report.
Ideally, neither party would’ve wanted it to become such a bitter experience.
However, the upcoming season provides both with ample opportunities to prove that they were right in the decision that was made.