Vettel will recapture form and become very difficult to beat, says Alguersuari

Barcelona, August 21: Sebastian Vettel will recover his form and become "very difficult to beat" when he feels good again in a car, according to Jaime Alguersuari.

Four-time Formula One world champion Vettel has endured a difficult few years, his last title coming back in 2013.

Vettel has won just one grand prix since the start of 2019 – last year's race in Singapore - and came fifth in the drivers' championship last season.

The 33-year-old will leave Ferrari at the end of 2020 and his final season is not going to plan, the German having taken only 16 points from six races, 116 fewer than championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

His future in the sport is uncertain, but Alguersuari, who drove for Toro Rosso between 2009 and 2011, does not think Vettel is finished at the highest level.

"What I do know is that Vettel is a huge driver and the day that he has good sensations with the car, it will be very difficult to beat him," he told Stats Perform News.

"He is going through a difficult time, but this does not make him worse or a bad driver. We can all go through difficult times in our sporting careers. At the moment, that is happening to him.

"The most important thing is not to lose your head and keep working on the problems that he must be facing, in terms of what he is not feeling with the car. Sometimes, you are doing all the best you know and simply there is no speed."

ICYMI: Following yesterday’s #SpanishGP, #Seb5 became only the second driver in history to score more than 3000 #F1 career points 👏#essereFerrari 🔴 pic.twitter.com/fvieIFGI8J

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) August 17, 2020

With Vettel leaving, Carlos Sainz will join Ferrari from McLaren in 2021 to partner Charles Leclerc, and Alguersuari anticipates an interesting battle in terms of which driver will become the number one with the Scuderia.

He said: "I have always said that, like in 2007 with Fernando [Alonso] and [Lewis] Hamilton, everyone thought that the English team was making things easier for the English driver.

"That was bulls***, a lie. What the team wants is to give a competitive car to both drivers and the same options, then, afterwards, what will happen will happen. But the car needs to be as quick as possible for both drivers. Because of that, I do not think that Carlos Sainz is going to Ferrari as the second driver.

"I see Carlos Sainz as a very mature guy in all senses. I think that he has adapted very well to F1. He might not be the quickest driver out there but if I had a team, I wouldn't be looking for the fastest driver out there, either, but for the driver who would give me more points and be the more consistent one.

"Carlos probably is one of the most consistent F1 drivers. He understands F1 well."