Disillusioned with the new formula, Sebastian Vettel came close to walking away from F1, claims former boss Christian Horner.

"Seb didn't enjoy the regulation changes," says Horner, according to The Guardian. "He didn't enjoy the new engine, the feel from the new system, the power unit, the brake-by-wire, the lack of downforce.

"You could tell he wasn't happy. He was preoccupied and to compound that his team-mate won three races. There was that feeling 'am I enjoying this as much as I thought I was?'

"It was like someone had taken his toy away," he continued. "It took him a while to get to grips with that. It was not something he was used to. He went through a period of disillusionment about the direction Formula One was going in. There was a stage last year when he thought whether he wanted to stop or not, whether he was getting the same level of enjoyment or not and whether or not he wanted to continue.

"He was unhappy with the direction Formula One had gone. His previous four years had been so successful for him in a car he loved driving - and then suddenly things were very different. It raised some questions he had to deal with. He went back to basics and drove a kart in the middle of the year to get back to the bare essence of why he was a grand prix driver and rediscovered his passion for being a grand prix driver."

Interestingly, Horner claims that Vettel went through a similar period in 2012.

"We saw a little bit of it at the start when the regulations were changed about the exhaust-blown diffuser," said the Briton. "At the beginning of that year he won in Bahrain but it took him to the flyaways at the end of the year to win his second race and it was only when we found some performance around the rear of the car that it opened up his envelope for him."

While the German never made any secret of the fact that he was unhappy with the new formula, Horner's claim that he was seriously considering quitting the sport is surprising, to put it mildly.

To be fair, a number of drivers had problems with the new regulations, including his 2015 teammate Kimi Raikkonen, but none appeared to struggle as much as Vettel who was in difficulty from the outset. Indeed, the lack of pre-season testing put him seriously off his stride and the lack of confidence built from there. Even changing his chassis a couple of times failed to help.

Those who have previously opined that much of his success came from the fact that he had the best car will feel validated, especially when one compares the German's season to that of his relatively inexperienced new teammate. That he never won a race, whilst Ricciardo won three, speaks volumes. Indeed, the only time he led a race was when Hamilton pitted from the lead in Singapore.

Now at Ferrari, where he is aiming to repeat the feat of his hero, Michael Schumacher, Vettel should take note that it was in his fifth year, following four long, frustrating seasons, that the German finally took the first of his five titles with the Maranello outfit.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by gturner38, 29/01/2015 3:27

"So the translation is that any time Vettel struggles, he sulks and wants to quit. If true, it doesn't paint Vettel in a great light, although it says a lot about Horner that he felt it was appropriate to talk about that. When did it become Horner's job to enlighten the world on a Ferrari driver's psyche?"

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2. Posted by White Lightning, 28/01/2015 9:46

"Disillusioned with not winning, more like.

Where has the carefree young champion gone? I honestly didn't see this petulant streak coming, but perhaps he's fallen into cruise mode where he just doesn't have the hunger to get back to the top after such a long winning streak.

Put it this way, I don't think the Ferrari adventure will end well for anybody. "

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3. Posted by Wolfman_Kindly_Requesting, 28/01/2015 9:41

"Is that the sound of toys vacating a pram I hear? I think so!"

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4. Posted by Hondawho?, 28/01/2015 9:29

"1. Posted by sduke39, 5 hours ago
"Imagine that. I came close to walking away from F1 also. Still might join the millions that have walked away and tuned out. It all hinges on the new engine regulations in 2016. If V6/hybrid weed eaters stay....I'm off to the WEC for good."

Do you mean to watch the Audi Radio Controlled cars and the Porsche Hybrid, Toyota hybrid and other electric cars, that WEC you mean? :-)"

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5. Posted by sduke39, 28/01/2015 4:42

"Imagine that. I came close to walking away from F1 also. Still might join the millions that have walked away and tuned out. It all hinges on the new engine regulations in 2016. If V6/hybrid weed eaters stay....I'm off to the WEC for good."

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Vettel considered quitting F1 claims Horner

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