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How Vettel's Ferrari mission ended on a sour note

Sebastian Vettel's 2020 began with expectation of a new Ferrari F1 deal but ended with his exit from the Scuderia after a six-year spell. Here's the story of his final season - a painful campaign alongside Charles Leclerc, who made the best of a disappointing car

"The mission is still there and the target is still there to achieve the mission - to win with Ferrari."

Sebastian Vettel spoke those words only nine months ago, during the aborted Australian Grand Prix weekend. At the time, just before the COVID-19 pandemic brought Formula 1 and the world to a standstill, it looked near certain that he would be re-signed to a fresh Ferrari deal and continue striving to achieve his dream: winning in red, just like his childhood hero, Michael Schumacher.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.