Eddie Irvine, former Ferrari Formula 1 driver, is not impressed with Vettel’s performance. He labeled the four-time world champion as a “one-trick pony” and view him as “massively overrated”.
Irvine, who drove for Ferrari from 1996 to 1999 seasons, criticized the Michael replacement for title that Ferrari chose. Michael Schumacher suffered a broken leg during a crash in British Grand Prix in 1999, which ended his chances to win championship.
Irvine had earlier claimed that the Formula 1 has become boring for him, due to which he has stopped watching. But he criticized Vettel and questioned Hamilton’s competitiveness for being compared to Schumacher.
He said, “I don’t even think he is close to Michael’s league,” even though he believes he is in “different league” with respect to his title contender Vettel.
Irvine expressed his thoughts about Vettel and said during a talk with BBC: “I think Vettel is good if he is at the front and he doesn’t have anybody to race.
“When you watch Lewis race, Lewis is focused on racing and getting ahead.
“You watch Vettel and, when Vettel is racing is someone, he is focused as much on the other guy as he is on where he is going and inevitably crashes into the other guy.
“That happens nearly all the time. I think Vettel is a good driver, but a four-times world champion, I just don’t see it.
“I think he is massively overrated, I think he’s a one-trick pony.
“Lewis has a much broader talent.”
Irvine pointed out Hamliton’s talent in which he outscores Schumacher, i.e. overtaking, but he lacks the consistency of performance that seven times world champion Schumacher had or three times world champion Ayrton Senna.
“If you look over the three years Lewis and [Jenson] Button were together [at McLaren], Button actually outscored him,” said Irvine.
“No-one ever did that to Michael.
“Michael’s level of performance was consistently higher even though Lewis is an amazingly talented driver.
“When Lewis first came to Formula 1 he was fantastic to watch and his overtaking was second to none. He’s probably a better overtaker than Michael.
“But for pace, and consistency over a whole weekend, over a whole year, I don’t think anyone touches Michael – even Senna.”
