Ferrari were, on balance, the nearest challengers to Mercedes during their run of eight consecutive constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021. Sebastian Vettel twice fell short in title battles with Lewis Hamilton.
At first, it was Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull who occasionally beat Mercedes. With three victories in 2014, the Australian was the only winner outside Brackley.
But his teammate Sebastian Vettel then moved to Ferrari and presented a new challenge. Like Ricciardo, Vettel delivered a hat-trick of wins without putting serious pressure on Hamilton or Nico Rosberg.
| RANK | DRIVER | TEAM | PTS |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 381 |
| 2 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 322 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 278 |
| 4 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 150 |
| 5 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 136 |
That changed in 2017, when Vettel won the season opener in Australia and round three in Bahrain. He was 14 points ahead of Hamilton heading into the summer break.
It was a similar story the following year, with Vettel ahead of the Englishman as late as July. On both occasions, he and Ferrari fell away after the summer break.
Ferrari group chat message shows their respect for Mercedes during Lewis Hamilton era
Posting on her Instagram story, former Ferrari strategist Ruth Buscombe-Divey shared quotes from new Aston Martin designer Adrian Newey. The legendary engineer said ‘there’s much flexibility for innovation and different approaches than first meets the eye’ in the 2026 regulations.
This is an ominous statement given Newey’s record of finding loopholes in the rulebook, which has allowed him to draw up dominant machines. He’s been partly responsible for 12 constructors’ title wins.
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Buscombe said this reminded her of a Mercedes meme from the Silver Arrows’ heyday. The photo shows team boss Toto Wolff and the late Niki Lauda looking on from the side of the track in pre-season, with the caption ‘look at them testing away like they have a chance’.
This was apparently shared in Ferrari’s group chat during the 2015 season. The self-deprecating message was a sign of how much they respected Wolff’s squad and the scale of the task they faced.
How Lewis Hamilton influenced Ferrari’s decision to axe Sebastian Vettel
There’s enormous mutual respect between Hamilton and Vettel. Even when they were battling for titles, there was tension but hardly ever any toxicity.
In an interview last year, Hamilton called Vettel ‘the best world champion’ he knows. They have both used their platform to campaign for off-track causes.
But it’s also true that Hamilton contributed to Vettel’s Ferrari exit, albeit indirectly. The Scuderia suspected he wasn’t at the level of his rival and decided to test that theory by bringing in Charles Leclerc.
When Leclerc beat Vettel in his first season, he lost support. Ferrari announced that they were replacing the four-time world champion before the 2020 season had even started.
