‘Stop dreaming’ – Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari predecessor set for shock career change after failing to replicate Michael Schumacher

Racing for Ferrari is every Formula 1 fan’s dream, but it’s one that can quickly turn sour.

Joined-record seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton will finally realise that honour in a month’s time when he takes to the Melbourne circuit for the first time in red, hoping to succeed where numerous drivers have failed.

One of those was his long-time rival Sebastian Vettel, who was seen as Ferrari’s last great hope when he arrived in Italy in 2015 looking to replicate his hero – Michael Schumacher.

However, after six seasons, the four-time world champion from his time at Red Bull admitted defeat, saying he’d failed in his mission to claim the Scuderia’s first title since 2007.

Despite links with a Red Bull return, Vettel spent his final two seasons in F1 at Aston Martin and never quite recovered, leaving in 2022, and he hasn’t been seen in a competitive race in any formula since.

Now explaining his absence, the 37-year-old is quoted by Sport1 as saying he is just two months from completing a course to become a farmer.

Having started an agricultural degree in Pfaffikon, Switzerland, he’s now passed his December written exams and will undertake oral ones in April and May.

“If I pass the course, I will be able to run my own business,” Vettel said. “I am fascinated by the potential in agriculture, also for the climate, for the changes and challenges that we all face.”

Yet despite his surprise career change, Sport1 add that Vettel still aspires towards an F1 return, with Hamilton (aged 40) and Fernando Alonso (aged 43) still competitive despite being older.

However, with his Ferrari experience so brutal, many of his peers have advised him not to make a comeback.

Friend and fellow former Red Bull driver David Coulthard said: “He should give it up and stop dreaming that he will be faster after taking a few years off.

“The stopwatch doesn’t lie. He wasn’t quite at his best at the end at Aston Martin either.”

Just as brutally, Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko explained why he didn’t bring Vettel back.

“Sebastian would have liked to drive alongside Max Verstappen for us. But that wouldn’t have made sense, also to protect him,” Marko said.

“Max would have clearly beaten him and damaged Sebastian’s reputation. I couldn’t and didn’t want to allow that.”

Vettel was rated as an all-time great due to his titles from 2010 to 2013, and only three drivers have more championships than his four in the history of the sport.

Yet his displays in head-to-head combat with Hamilton at Mercedes lowered expectations, as did failed duels against Daniel Ricciardo and Charles Leclerc as teammates.

Explaining why the pressure is different at Ferrari, Vettel may have given a warning of sorts to Hamilton, saying: “I had the clear mission and target to win.

“I think I have obviously an emotional attachment to the team, growing up seeing Michael win. So it was a very special moment when I joined the team.

“But the pressure thing, I think also the fact that you know, the pressure in Italy, the fans and so on, yes, it is there.”

Since leaving F1, Vettel has been linked with a return when Audi joins the grid in 2026, but the German outfit have already landed one of his compatriots in Nico Hulkenberg.

He’s also long talked up another German employer in joining Porsche at Le Mans, but that move hasn’t materialised either, with Vettel’s car time largely limited to the Race of Champions exhibition event.