Lewis Hamilton leads the driver standings by 40 points, thanks to a well controlled win under the lights at Singapore.
Vettel is now up against it, as he was expected to win in Singapore, especially with the kind of success that Ferrari have enjoyed at Marina Bay in the past.
But the weekend was a massive disaster for Ferrari, messing up qualifying and then coming up with a questionable strategy for raceday, one which almost cost Vettel a podium finish.
Ferrari’s pace had mysteriously disappeared on qualifying and raceday, but showcasing their pace on raceday was always going to be difficult, especially when Vettel was going to start from P3, on a circuit that isn’t quite known for overtaking.
Now, Vettel will have to drive out of his skin in order to secure the WDC. In fact, even if he wins all the remaining races, with Hamilton coming second, Vettel win will the WDC by only 2 points.
Now, here are some statistics regarding Ferrari and Mercedes’ performance in the last 6 races, courtest r/Pranav_F1
Russia- Mercedes have won every race
Japan- Mercedes have won every race since 2014
USA- Mercedes have won every race since 2014
Mexico- 2 of the last 3 races have been won by Mercedes
Brazil- 3 of the last 4 races have been won by Mercedes
Abu Dhabi- Mercedes have won every race since 2014
Now, while Ferrari seem to have the superior car, or seemed to have it until the last race, records might not have a large role to play, but still the odds are stacked up against them.
Vettel and Ferrari will have to iron out the errors and hope that Hamilton and Mercedes slip up in some or the other race. A DNF would massively benefit Ferrari, but they’ll have to ensure that they themselves don’t have a DNF.
