Sebastian Vettel and a season of blown chances

Monza was supposed to be Ferrari's race to lose and lose they did. But the fashion in which they lost, and possibly gave Mercedes a huge advantage in the Drivers' Championship, was reminiscent of the blows they have suffered all season long.

From Azerbaijan to France and now Italy, this has been a season of unconvincing mistakes by the 4-time world champion. For the first time in the Turbo Hybrid era, Ferrari seems to have beaten Mercedes to the punch with their engine. Quicker over the straight line and better on the corners after the summer break, this looked like the season in which the Scuderia would finally end Mercedes' dominance.

That has however not proven to be the case. After getting lucky in Australia with the Virtual Safety Car and then strangling Valtteri Bottas in Bahrain, the Italian team seem to have run out of luck. China was a race where the Red Bulls were supposed to be strong, but Sebastian Vettel's P8 meant their advantage in the Drivers' Championship was reduced altogether.

Then came Azerbaijan. Arguably the most enthralling race of the season so far, Ferrari and Vettel went from P2 and on Bottas' back when the safety car ended to P4 and struggling within two corners. An uncharacteristic lunge down the first corner followed by a massive lock-up meant Seb(Sebastian Vettel) not only lost ground on Bottas but also let Hamilton through. Bottas' saddening puncture and Hamilton's victory in a race where he was most definitely not at his fastest seem to be the turning point of the season.

Spain followed the calendar with yet more disappointment as Seb finished 4th after a really sticky rear tyre and some questionable strategy cost him a place on the podium. Monaco was next and a gutsy Ricciardo drive meant that while Vettel finished 2nd, he could only reduce the gap to Hamilton by 3 points.

Canada treated Ferrari better as Vettel won in a race which nearly ended one lap early, but it was then followed by France, a race that would hand the initiative back to Hamilton. After a fast start at the Circuit Paul Ricard, Vettel's Ferrari hit Bottas' Mercedes in a tight corner and was subsequently handed a 5-second penalty that would ruin the race for him. P5 was as good as it got for Seb in France with Austria looming next.

A track that has tended to favour the Red Bulls, Ferrari secured a 2nd-3rd podium lockout and then followed it up with a win in Silverstone where Hamilton and Raikkonen ran into each other on the first lap. Then came the error at Hockenheim, wherein the rain, Seb lost control of his Ferrari and crashed into a barrier, and gave Mercedes and Hamilton the unlikely win.

Rain in Hungary caused more pain for Seb as Lewis Hamilton won a comfortable race on a track where the Mercedes was supposed to be slower. And after aggressively rallying back at Spa, Seb made yet another error at Monza, a possibly fatal error, when he decided to try and stick around the inside on the second chicane.

This has not been the a season where Seb and his Ferrari have performed like World Champions in any way or shape despite having the faster car and they now face an uphill battle at the end of the European season Hamilton comfortably in the lead. It will have to be some performance by the Prancing Horse, starting with this weekend in Singapore, but if they don't manage to overcome this already difficult challenge, they will have only themselves to blame.

For them and for Seb, this has been a season of blown chances.