Sebastian Vettel was never in the same class as Lewis Hamilton, feels former F1 analyst

Former F1 analyst Peter Windsor believes Sebastian Vettel was never at Lewis Hamilton's level. The two drivers battled hard for a number of years in the sport before the German's retirement at the end of the 2022 season.

Windsor claims the four-time world champion is overly dependent on a car with a good rear-end grip while stating that Lewis Hamilton is more adaptable.

The journalist ranks Vettel alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. However, he claims the Spaniard is likely to do a better job when the conditions are less than ideal.

Windsor also added that as per the German's former Red Bull teammate Mark Webber, his persona behind the scenes was quite different from the image he had created in the media.

Speaking via his Twitch channel, Peter Windsor spoke about Sebastian Vettel:

“I never would have put him in the same class as Lewis. Maybe, if he’s got a really good back end on the car, I’d put him up there with Fernando [Alonso] – but if he’s got a wayward back end and not a lot of grip [he’s in trouble]."

"Overall, throw a bit of crosswind at Seb, throw a bit of crosswind at Fernando, throw a bit of oil on the track, throw a bit of tires going off – Fernando’s always going to do a better job [than Vettel] with all the variables up in the air."

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Sebastian Vettel has all the qualities to become a team principal, claims Christian Horner

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has claimed Sebastian Vettel has all the qualities it takes to become a team principal. The German driver retired from the sport at the end of the 2022 F1 season, walking away with four world titles to his name.

Vettel won't feature on this year's grid, having said goodbye to Aston Martin and the sport at the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP.

After winning four world titles with Red Bull, Christian Horner is quite familiar with the four-time world champion. He claimed that Vettel has all the qualities needed to become a team principal in the future, should he ever choose to do so.

Horner also stated that the former Red Bull driver is 'annoyingly good' at whatever he chooses to do and that he can apply his skills in the context of a team boss.

Christian Horner spoke about Sebastian Vettel to Formula 1.com, saying:

"He's a great people person. He understands the value of people and the contribution that they make to success. And I think he's turned into somewhat of a driver counselor in the last couple of years as well. So, it really depends on what he wishes to apply himself to."

He added:

"He's one of those guys that's annoyingly good at anything he chooses to do. So I'm sure if he chose that path he would be very good at it.”

Despite Windsor's opinions on the German, Sebastian Vettel will go down as one of the sport's greatest drivers. He has cemented his place in the Hall of Fame not only due to his four world titles but also his reputation off the track.