t is not every day that a four-time defending Formula One world champion is asked to move out of the way to allow his new teammate—zero career podiums—through.
But that is exactly what happened between Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo at last Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
To make matters worse for the champ, after he found himself back in front of the young Australian following a late safety car, Ricciardo passed him again on track, no team orders necessary.
Andrew Hone/Getty ImagesAt this point, even though it is only three races into the new season, it may be time for Vettel to forget about adding to his championship trophy collection. Instead, he should just worry about beating his teammate.
After all, Vettel is already 38 points behind Nico Rosberg in the drivers’ standings. Red Bull is mired in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship, 76 points adrift of the seemingly unbeatable Mercedes team.
Following the Bahrain race, Vettel admitted, per the official F1 website, that, “Daniel proved that there was a little bit more to get from the car today, I couldn’t really get to that bit, so I’m not so happy with my day.