Sebastian Vettel on course for worst F1 season of his career

Sebastian Vettel is set for the worst full campaign of his Formula 1 career following another difficult race at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Vettel struggled to 12th place at Imola and has managed just two points finishes in the last seven races.

The four-time world champion has finished 10th on four occasions this year, with his best results of the season coming in Spain (seventh) and Hungary (sixth).

Vettel slipped to 14th in the championship after AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat claimed an impressive fourth at Imola. The German is eight points behind Kvyat on 18 points from the opening 13 rounds, with four races remaining this year.

In contrast, Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc sits fifth in the standings on 85 points, with the Monegasque scoring two podiums at the opening rounds at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone.

Vettel's lowest-ever finish in F1 came during his rookie season in 2007 when he finished 14th overall, although he only took part in eight of the 17 races that year.

“This is clearly not the result we wanted and for sure not the one we would have deserved,” Vettel said after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

“I was comfortable in the car even if this year the problem is more severe in qualifying, where I struggle to get a feel for the car.

“We have to remain patient and continue to make gradual progress, as we have been doing, given that we missed Q3 by just two tenths.

“If we can start from a bit higher up the grid, the next races could bring us better results.”

2020 will be Vettel’s final season at Ferrari after it opted not to renew his contract and instead sign Carlos Sainz from McLaren for 2021. Vettel will make the switch to the newly rebranded Aston Martin squad next year.

At the Portuguese Grand Prix, Vettel insisted he wanted to end his seventh-year spell at Ferrari in F1 with “dignity”.

"From my side, I think it's a very different year, very different circumstances going in," he explained.

"[I'm] probably not having the smoothest year doing [with] what I can do, and not the easiest situation. But I'm willing to give everything that I can to try and improve, and towards the end of the year, get back to where I know I can be.”

Ferrari is also on course for its worst finish in the championship since it slumped to 10th in 1980.

The Maranello outfit holds sixth place in the constructors’ championship on 103 points, 31 points behind Racing Point and 14 points clear of AlphaTauri.

“Certainly I think that trying to move up in the championship will be great but if you look at today we didn’t really gain points, we lose on one team,” Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said at Imola after the race.

“The battle is very tight but I think the car has improved so that at least we may try. I think certainly our objective is to try and catch up someone, we know there are only four races to go so it will be somehow very difficult but why not.”