F1: ‘too extreme’ to write off Vettel, Horner praises young guns, Mercedes to have one-off livery for German GP

Vettel defended

Three ex-Formula 1 drivers - Timo Glock, Gerhard Berger and Ralf Schumacher - have come to the defence of Sebastian Vettel.

Ferrari star Vettel is currently in a “career crisis”, GrandPX reports, but according to former Toyota driver Glock it’s “too extreme” to write off the four-time world champion just yet.

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He told Speed Week: “He is in a dry spell and needs to wait until it stops. Maybe things are not the way they should be at Ferrari.”

Glock also believes that leaving Ferrari could be what Vettel needs to reboot his F1 career. “Yes, I think so,” he added. “We’ve seen it in the sport many times before. Maybe it would do him good.”

Meanwhile, Berger has advised the German to “keep your nerve, press the throttle and do not read any newspapers” and Schumacher has blamed Ferrari for Vettel’s situation.

“Formula 1 has become more complex, and Ferrari has completely messed up,” said Schumacher.

“The car is clearly difficult to drive, so they need to support Sebastian when he makes mistakes that happen under pressure. He has not suddenly become a bad driver.”

Horner praises F1’s young guns

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner says Formula 1’s future is bright thanks to the performances of young drivers Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.

Red Bull’s Verstappen (21), Ferrari’s Leclerc (21) and McLaren’s Norris (19) have all impressed this season and Horner said: “It’s great for F1. You can never stop time and it’s clear to see some great talent emerging in Formula 1 at the moment - with Max having established himself, Leclerc is doing a great job.

“Lando Norris has done a good job in a McLaren this year. I’m sure George Russell is right there but the equipment [at Williams] doesn’t allow him to show that.

“F1 can be excited about the potential of those guys. But it’s also great to see the young guns go up against the established guys as well - the Hamiltons and the Vettels.

“We have a great period in time where you just hope equipment allows those guys to race hard and competitively with each other.”

Big weekend for Mercedes

The two Mercedes cars will have a one-off livery at this weekend’s F1 German Grand Prix - the team’s home race.

Merc’s new look comes with the German brand being the title sponsor at Hockenheim, the team celebrating its 200th start in F1, and the 125th anniversary of motor sport.

Team principal Toto Wolff said: “We will celebrate a remarkable anniversary in Hockenheim: 125 years of motor sport. In 1894, the world’s first car race was held from Paris to Rouen and the winning machine had at its heart an engine manufactured to the design of Gottlieb Daimler.

“It was the start of a great motor sport tradition that continues to this day and we are incredibly proud to write the next chapter in this legacy. We will run a commemorative livery to pay tribute to our heritage.”

F1 German GP: practice, qualifying, predictions, TV, betting