Vettel a rock in Ferrari's high-pressure environment – Horner

Red Bull Formula 1 team principal Christian Horner believes former driver Sebastian Vettel carries the pressure of being at Ferrari and acts as a rock for the team.

Vettel currently trails Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton by 24 points heading into the second half of the season in his bid to seal a first F1 title with the Italian squad following his switch to Maranello ahead of the 2015 campaign.

Speaking an interview with the official F1 podcast aired during the summer break, Horner insisted the German is handling the high-pressure environment of Ferrari well, despite making a number of costly errors so far this season, most notably crashing out while leading the German Grand Prix.

“I think the pressure is probably a bit different at Ferrari. I think at Red Bull it was arguably a more relaxed atmosphere, he hasn’t got the nations hopes resting on his shoulders," Horner explained. 

“Ferrari obviously is a different beast to operate within, [it’s] fear based and a very different environment from the outside looking in, and you can see Sebastian, he carries that pressure. He’s very much a rock within that team.”

Vettel racked up 38 victories and claimed four consecutive world championships during his Red Bull tenure, leading Horner to praise his ability, labelling him as the best driver to ever race for the Milton Keynes squad.

“He grew with the team and he produced some fantastic performances,” Horner added.

“When he got into a position at the front of the race, his ability to control a grand prix and manage a race was phenomenal. He just got better and better each year he was at the team.”