Vettel 'doing his job' in Verstappen move
Vettel 'doing his job' in Verstappen move
Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene said Sebastian Vettel was simply "doing his job" attempting the overtake on Max Verstappen that proved so costly at the Japanese Grand Prix. Vettel banged into the side of Verstappen at Spoon Curve, sending him into a spin and to the back of the field.
Vettel's recovered to finish sixth at Suzuka, but his title hopes are all but finished, with Lewis Hamilton able to take a fifth crown in Austin next time out, having romped to victory in Japan.
The German put the blame firmly at the feet of Verstappen after the race, although the Dutchman was naturally quick to defend himself.
Arrivabene told Sky Sports: "Why do we have to talk always about mistakes?
"We had the news about the penalty very late and Sebastian was doing his job. If you want to talk about a race incident, I accept this, but we were not able to exploit our potential."
The race result capped a miserable weekend for Ferrari, who botched their qualifying strategy to leave Vettel starting eighth on the grid.
Fastest lap for #Seb5 1:32.670 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/VahDBryBb8 — Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) October 7, 2018
"Yesterday we had the problem that everybody knows about, and as I said yesterday I was a bit disappointed - but we win and lose together," Arrivabene added.
"I have to say the team and drivers reacted very well. We had circumstances during the race and it was clear the podium was not in our hands today.
"Concerning the future races I know the situation looks impossible but our challenge is to achieve the impossible."
MORE: Verstappen collision 'the end of Vettel's championship'
MORE: Verstappen ruined my race - Raikkonen
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- 5 minutes ago
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- Today 11:27
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- 3 hours ago
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- Today 12:59
F1 News Today: Red Bull star set to QUIT team as F1 driver role CONFIRMED for 2025
- Today 12:38
F1 team set to axe BOTH star drivers
- Today 12:05
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860