Mid-season saw Ferrari emerge as probably the best package on the grid. A dominant victory in Canada saw a strong 2-3 from the team in Austria as both Mercedes cars retired, and a hammer blow was then struck at Silverstone. Literally. Kimi Raikkonen spun Hamilton around at the start of the race, and Vettel then went on to dominate proceedings, apart from a sprint battle with Valtteri Bottas near races end. And eight point lead for Vettel and around a 20 point lead for Ferrari, made things look very good indeed for the team.
But then, things unraveled. A costly mistake in Germany while leading saw Vettel crash out, and Hamilton win from 14th on the grid, with a Mercedes 1-2. Wet qualifying in Hungary allowed Mercedes to lock out the front row, at a track Ferrari looked to have a decisive edge, which became a win for Hamilton. Ferrari bounced back at Spa with a dominant Vettel win, but then it went wrong again at Monza.
Raikkonen took pole for the team ahead of Vettel, and at races start the German couldn't get past his teammate. This left him under attack from Hamilton at the second chicane, who not only got past Vettel but saw his rival spin to the rear of the field as well. Vettel finished 4th, Hamilton won. Ferrari then simply lacked pace in the next few races, not winning again until the USA, but with Raikkonen, not Vettel. By then, costly errors in Suzuka and Austin saw Vettel's title hopes all but over.
This has very much left both Vettel and the team licking their wounds, but they still have a very competitive car, despite going in the wrong direction development wise earlier in the year. What happens for next year is crucial. Understanding what went wrong is the main thing, and the team is also preparing for a shake up in its driver line up. Charles Leclerc is replacing the Sauber bound Raikkonen, in a move that is both intriguing and exciting at the same time.
The move perhaps shows Ferrari are looking for both more consistency in its race finishes, and one eye already on the future. It's fair to say Raikkonen has not been as fast as Vettel since the pair became teammates in 2015, although the Finn has had a stellar 2018. Nor is Vettel getting any younger, and he may walk away from the sport come the end of 2020, whether he has won a title at Ferrari or not. Leclerc, together with Antonio Giovanazzi, is the future of the Scuderia, and with a quite frankly brilliant rookie season under his belt, he looks set to do well in 2019.
On the subject of Vettel, with the mistakes he has made Ferrari may well be looking to Leclerc to give the German a harder time, which may raise Vettel's game and help eliminate the mistakes he has made. If both drivers are pushing each other to their very best, they may well be in an even stronger position than they have been this year with the Vettel and Raikkonen partnership.
Ferrari must eliminate the mistakes that have blighted their 2018 campaign, one which they have been much more of a challenger to Mercedes yet are still set to come up short. Vettel must also iron out the costly errors that have ruined his chances of taking the title this year, and put in more brilliant performances that we saw from him in Silverstone and Bahrain, where on incredibly worn tyres, he held off Bottas for a remarkable win.
What's in store for the team then in 2019 is hard to tell. As long as Ferrari realise what went wrong in this years development race, they should be in a good position to challenge Mercedes once again. Leclerc may in for a year of learning, but it wouldn't be too surprising to see him take the fight to his teammate after a bit of bedding in, and perhaps challenge for the championship himself.
Ferrari still have some things they need to address. Should they do so, 2019 may finally be the year it all comes good. With it being over ten years since the team last took any form of title, they know it is make or break time to fight and beat Mercedes.
