Ex-Formula 1 driver and team boss Gerhard Berger believes that Sebastian Vettel underestimated the challenge he faced upon joining Ferrari in 2015.
Vettel moved to Ferrari for the 2015 season after winning four world titles in six seasons with Red Bull, and was tasked with leading the team back to the front of the field following a seven-year stint without a championship.
Vettel won three races in his first season at Maranello, but endured a winless campaign through 2016 as Ferrari dropped to third in the pecking order behind Mercedes and Red Bull.
Vettel's Ferrari move has frequently been compared to that of Michael Schumacher, who left Benetton at the end of 1995 after winning his second world title and worked hard to turn the Italian marque around. The German would go on to win five drivers' titles with Ferrari, all coming consecutively from 2000 to 2004.
Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, ex-Ferrari driver Berger said that Vettel underestimated the impact that Schumacher had upon making the move and the changes he made, most notably bringing a number of key personnel from Benetton with him including technical chief Ross Brawn.
"He underestimated what Michael did at the time. He had gone to Ferrari, but with Benetton people in his bags," Berger said.
"When he arrived, Ferrari was in the state that it is today. Sebastian should have only taken the step to Ferrari if key figures at Red Bull would have moved along as well, like Michael did."
Berger believes that Ferrari is now back where it was when he last drove for the team back in 1995, prior to Schumacher's arrival.
"Ferrari is sensitive to any criticism. It is somehow the golden calf, which one must not touch," Berger said.
"My heart is Ferrari. It's painful to criticise them, but the reality is this: Ferrari was happy in 2015 and success returned, and they have assumed that this is their achievement.
"But that is still really far from Mercedes and Red Bull. Somehow, Ferrari is back where they were when I drove for them."
