Sebastian Vettel admits he wasn't aware of change of race strategy for Leclerc
Sebastian Vettel admits he wasn't aware of change of race strategy for Leclerc
Sebastian Vettel says he was not aware that Ferrari had opted to change the race strategy of Charles Leclerc during the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya, where the Scuderia were once again dominated by Mercedes who finished with a one-two.
On two occasions a Ferrari driver in behind appeared to be enjoying more pace than the team-mate in front, which meant Vettel and Leclerc swapped positions to allow the other to pass. However, this came with confusion as team radio confirmed that they were on different strategies when the German believed it was the same.
“We talk about it internally,” Vettel said after the race.
“Inside the car we try to do our own race. I think in the beginning it was clear that Charles was faster so I was happy to let him go, in the second stint I wasn't aware we were on different strategies for a long time but once it was clear, I was let go and I was a lot faster and tried to put pressure on Max, but in the end it didn't really matter.”
#SpanishGP RESULTS: #Seb5 P4️⃣#Charles16 P5️⃣#essereFerrari 🔴 pic.twitter.com/84MsB0fzjb
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 12, 2019
After a collision between Lance Stroll and Lando Norris which forced both drivers into retirement, a lengthy safety car period was introduced which allowed the pack to squeeze tigher. It presented Vettel with the opportunity to try and attack Max Verstappen, but he admits it wasn’t possible as his Ferrari was operating at the same speed as the Red Bull of the Dutchman.
“I was struggling to see stuff and I was also slow and I was compromised in my first time," he confessed.
"Afterwards my pace was fine but from there it was difficult, the safety car gave us a chance but we were the same pace as Max so it was almost impossible to pass.”
Vettel is yet to finish in the top two in a race this season, and is 48 points adrift of the driver’s championship leader, Lewis Hamilton.
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Newey set to announce STUNNING Red Bull departure
- 3 hours ago
Newey Red Bull exit wish CONFIRMED as F1 guru's reasons revealed
- 55 minutes ago
F1 legend reveals 'FLOOD' of death threats after controversial decision
- 1 hour ago
Adrian Newey: The life and career of Red Bull's departing genius
- 2 hours ago
Sky Sports F1 pundit dumbfounded by key Ferrari decision
- 2 hours ago
- 2
Talented young F1 prodigy set to make series DEBUT
- Today 16:57
Related news
Marko reveals Vettel requirements for stunning F1 comeback
Wolff drops Vettel F1 return clue
Vettel considering 'interesting' F1 return option
Hamilton backs Vettel to REPLACE him at Mercedes
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