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Vettel, who won all four of his world
championships with Red Bull, has gone 16 races without a victory
and made some costly errors, while Hamilton has won 14 of the
last 20.
Questions have increasingly been asked about Vettel's
performance under pressure while Hamilton speeds towards a sixth
championship.
Australian Mark Webber, now-retired former Red Bull team mate,
feels Vettel still has what it takes but needs better support
and more ammunition from the oldest and most glamorous team.
"I think he needs a couple more lieutenants, he needs to have
less responsibility in the team and just more reassurance that
the Monday to Friday stuff is going to be dealt with," he told
Reuters.
"Seb’s still has got it, but it’s a real challenge to stay ahead
against a Mercedes-Lewis Hamilton factor week in and week out."
Vettel is third overall, and best of the rest behind the
Mercedes drivers, with team mate Charles Leclerc fifth and 24
points further adrift.
Formula One's most successful team have not won any title since
2008.
"I don't find the challenge now different to last year or the
years before," Vettel said in France last Sunday. "We are in a
better place than maybe 2015 and 2016 so I think 2017 and '18
have been a clear step in the right direction.
"It's true that last year at this point we were more competitive
but it is what it is now...what is important is to look back at
these races and understand what we need to do better.
"I love racing, nothing has changed about that."
TALK OF TESTING
This year's car was the talk of pre-season testing with its
straight-line pace in Barcelona but is losing time overall to
Mercedes through the corners. Correcting the problems will take
time.
Ferrari should still have won in Bahrain but an engine problem
thwarted Leclerc while leading from pole.
In Canada, Vettel also led from pole but ended up a
controversial second after a time penalty for going off and
rejoining in an unsafe fashion.
The German has been wearing the red overalls since 2015,
dreaming of emulating great compatriot and idol Michael
Schumacher, but the magic is wearing thin even as Leclerc's
popularity grows.
The scrutiny, as ever, is intense and unsparing.
"Red Bull is like a Formula Three team compared to Ferrari. With
Ferrari there’s an article every day in the Gazzetta dello
Sport. It’s a religion there and being a driver is not easy,"
said Webber.
"If you look at when Ferrari executed the best, we go back to
when it was Ross (Brawn) and Jean (Todt)," he said, referring to
the golden years at the start of the century when Ferrari won
six successive constructors' titles under foreign bosses.
"They had a big mix of culture and I think that's still a bit of
a missing link."
So too is qualifying and single lap pace, with Vettel dangerous
when starting off the front row but more vulnerable further
back.
"Lewis is going to win the championship and Mercedes are going
to win the constructors’ (title), it’s obvious. Mercedes are
just too strong," said Webber.
"Ferrari just have not got enough bullets. It’s like a football
team, Mercedes just keep getting a result. Ferrari need
everything to line up."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ian Ransom)
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