Sebastian Vettel dismisses F1 win drought: 'In Canada we won'

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel dismisses win drought: 'In Canada we won'

Will the run end in Spa?

Matthew Scott

Thursday 29 August 2019 19:28

Sebastian Vettel cheekily shot down the significance of his year-long wait for a race win by reminding reporters his belief that he ought to have been victorious in Canada this season.

Vettel won last year's Belgian Grand Prix, but returns to Spa-Francorchamps this week yet to add to his 52 Formula 1 victories.

There have been near-misses for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc missing out late no in Bahrain and Austria, while Vettel crossed the line first in Montreal, but had the victory taken away post-race by a penalty for impeding Lewis Hamilton.

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Hamilton and Mercedes have flown clear in both championships, with Ferrari yet to win a race in 2019, but Vettel hopes a return to Spa can begin a turnaround in fortunes.

"On paper, Spa and Monza seem to be better tracks for us, certainly in specific types of sectors," Vettel is quoted by Italian media.

"We know that we are behind and we must continue to work to close the gap.

Shutters up, #SF90 out… Nearly time to take this horse for a gallop on track 🙌#essereFerrari 🔴 #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/kpW1nhrF0V
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) August 29, 2019

"Did I win my last GP here? True, but in Bahrain we went close and in Canada we won, so it was not really a year of fasting.

"We must seize our chances when they show up, like here and in Monza, and then in Singapore we have to give the best possible."

Ferrari is the only engine supplier not bringing an upgraded power unit to Spa, but Vettel says an update is in the pipeline.

"We have a new engine planned for the future, but I don't know when," he said.

"If [Mercedes] put in a lot of horsepower, then it is going to be tough for everyone but sometimes if you put in less horsepower [you get] more reliability… so I don't know what is their priority at this point.

"Historically they've been very strong and we know that their engine is also very strong. We hope that they don't have too much power because they are fast already."