How Sebastian Vettel Can Emulate Michael Schumacher's Success at Ferrari

When Sebastian Vettel's move from Red Bull Racing to Ferrari was confirmed, it didn't take long for the comparisons to begin.

At 27, Vettel has switched to the Prancing Horse at the exact age that his boyhood inspiration, Michael Schumacher, moved to the Maranello-based team as an established world champion.

Schumacher's time at Ferrari was one of the most dominant periods in Formula One history, with the German adding five titles to the two he achieved at Benetton, breaking plenty of records along the way.

And Vettel, the four-time world champion, has made no secret of his desire to replicate Schumacher's success, telling Ferrari's official website: "The dream of a lifetime has come true. When I was a kid, Michael Schumacher in the red car was my greatest idol and now it’s an incredible honour to finally get the chance to drive a Ferrari."

Here are five things Vettel, once nicknamed "Baby Schumi," can do to follow in the footsteps of Schumacher.

Schumacher's success at Ferrari was built upon the foundations provided by three key men: Jean Todt, the team principal, technical director Ross Brawn and chief designer Rory Byrne.

The dream team worked in harmony to deliver unprecedented levels of glory to the Prancing Horse in a framework that was not entirely dissimilar to the set-up that Vettel enjoyed at Red Bull.

In Christian Horner and Adrian Newey—as well as race engineer Guillaume Rocquelin—Vettel had a core group of allies in the team's hierarchy who helped him along to those four consecutive titles.

And just as the driver felt the time was right to seek new challenges in 2015, the trio might also have half an eye on the future.

Horner is unlikely to remain a Red Bull man for too much longer, while Newey—who, according to Paul Weaver of the Guardian, rejected a £20m offer from Ferrari in 2014—has always been eager to work for the Prancing Horse, as per F1 journalist Peter Windsor.

With Newey and Rocquelin starting new roles at Red Bull in 2015, it may be a little early for Vettel to persuade his former colleagues to join him at Ferrari, but it should be his medium-to-long-term goal.

A friendly face or two will be beneficial within the most intense, political team in Formula One.

Vettel and his new team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, were the two drivers who struggled most in adapting to the new regulations in 2014.

Whereas Raikkonen struggled with the front-end and brake-by-wire system of the F14-T, Vettel found it difficult to manipulate the RB10 in the fashion that he had done so successfully with Red Bull's previous cars.

The inter-team battle between the pair in 2015 then will be about salvaging reputations—and it is one that Vettel simply cannot afford to lose if he is to recreate Schumacher's success.

Should he be beaten by Raikkonen—who could then rub it in by swanning off into retirement—there would be even more question marks surrounding Vettel's credibility as a four-time champion than when he was out-performed by Daniel Ricciardo in 2014.

If he is to become Ferrari's central focus, Vettel must not just have the upper hand over Raikkonen—he must annihilate the 2007 world champion in the same way his predecessor, Fernando Alonso, did in '14.

Throughout his five straight title successes with Ferrari at the turn of the millennium, Schumacher operated with a clear No. 2 driver, in the shape of Rubens Barrichello, by his side.

It was a structure that served the team handsomely, with the Brazilian proving to be a strong back-up option whenever Schumacher ran into problems.

Ferrari deviated from that philosophy in 2014, partnering Alonso and Raikkonen to create the only all-champion pairing on the grid, but the Prancing Horse would be well advised to revert to their old ways when Raikkonen does depart the team.

With Valtteri Bottas' true potential still unclear, a driver who will always score good points but rarely challenge Vettel on pure pace—the likes of Romain Grosjean, Nico Hulkenberg or even Nico Rosberg—would be an ideal addition and reinforce the German's status as team leader.

Schumacher wasn't just a winner and a champion for Ferrari—he was an ambassador and a leader.

He, like every great driver in the team's history, fully understood the importance of Ferrari and the honour of representing F1's finest institution.

And, most importantly, he embraced it.

Following Schumacher's initial retirement in 2006, only Fernando Alonso has come close to recreating that spirit and resurrecting the myth that surrounds Ferrari.

It's up to Vettel to take that one step further.

Leadership skills weren't a necessity for Vettel in his time at Red Bull, with the team handing him a pace-setting car and the German doing the rest.

Considering that Ferrari are without a race win in almost two years and haven't secured a title of any kind since 2008, Vettel will be forced to provide a sense of direction from the moment he arrives.

His keen interest in the history of the sport should mean he will be fully aware of the privilege of driving for Ferrari and that will immediately endear him to the tifosi.

Schumacher's Ferrari career, as glorious as it was, cannot be mentioned without a reference to the unsavoury moments.

His failed attempt at taking title rival Jacques Villeneuve out of the 1997 season finale, confronting David Coulthard in the pits at Spa '98, denying Rubens Barrichello a win in Austria and blocking the road in qualifying at Monaco in 2006 all made the seven-time champion a divisive figure.

But they all, as unpleasant as they were at the time, contributed to cementing the legend that is Michael Schumacher.

Vettel, likewise, has shown devilish tendencies in his career, particularly at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix, where he ignored team orders to overtake his team-mate, Mark Webber, and take the win.

Although the German was criticised from all angles for wronging the popular Australian, Vettel soon emerged from the furore as a more formidable competitor, closing the season with a record nine straight wins.

Pushing the boundaries is the mark of all great athletes and Vettel must become even more ruthless as he switches to the menacing red of Ferrari.