Is the challenge too big for Vettel?
... Since the introduction of the latest points system (from 2010 onward), no driver has ever been 40 points or more adrift with six races to go and gone on to take the title.
That’s not to say that impressive comebacks haven’t happened, and Vettel has certainly had to mount serious fightbacks in order to claim championships.
Back in 2010, Vettel – fresh from his race-hampering collision with McLaren’s Jenson Button – had to claw back a 31-point deficit to in order to take his first world title. However, his quest for the title would’ve been aided by there being more than two championship challengers who would spend the next few races taking points from one another.
He had a similar amount of points to make up in his title-winning 2012 campaign. This time, the ultra-competitive season turned into a fight between himself and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, although few doubted that Vettel’s Red Bull car was the fastest on the grid.
After retiring at the Italian Grand Prix, he fell to 39 points away from the championship lead with seven rounds to go, and reduced the gap to 29 points with six to go after a race-winning Singapore Grand Prix.
Going further back, Vettel will need to take inspiration from his own Ferrari team-mate for an example of a greater comeback with six races to go.
In the combative 2007 season, Kimi Raikkonen fell to a full two wins (20 points, back under the old points system where a win was worth ten points) behind in the championship race with six rounds to go. However, a strong end to the season – combined with the internal squabbles at McLaren – allowed the Finn to take the title by one point at the final round...
