How Sebastian Vettel overcut Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly at Monaco

Vettel, Aston Martin, MonacoGP — Photo: © LAT Images

Monaco Grand Prix

How Vettel overcut Hamilton and Gasly at Monaco

Aston Martin driver secures team's best result yet with fifth in Monaco

Will Gray

Sunday 23 May 2021 19:16

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Sebastian Vettel has revealed just how close his battle with Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly was after securing Aston Martin's best finish of the season at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Vettel, who won on the streets of the Principality in 2011 and 2017, started in eighth before overhauling Hamilton and Gasly during the pit stop phase to score his first points for his new team.

Hamilton had aimed to undercut Gasly but as the AlphaTauri pitted in reaction, Vettel was afforded clean air to attack with up-to-temperature tyres and pull off the overcut, holding off the Frenchman in a tight race up Beau Rivage.

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Describing the crucial moment of his race, Vettel told Sky Sports F1: “The tyres weren’t fresh anymore but I was able to still go faster than I had up to that point and a little bit faster on the next lap and that made the difference at the pit stop.

“It was just good enough. We had a little bit of a wait but it was very tight with Pierre coming out. I didn’t see him initially, I saw he was there but I didn’t know exactly where but then it was a drag race up the hill and it’s not straight up there.

“I gave him room but eventually he had to back out of it. I also had not much room because there’s a lot of pick-up offline plus I am on fresh tyres you still have silicone on the tyre you need to get rid of. It was tight, but it worked.”

Vettel's start to life at Aston Martin has been difficult with the team plagued by issues surrounding the cuts to downforce enforced for this season, with low-rake concepts seemingly hit harder by the changes.

With Vettel and team-mate Lance Stroll scoring points for only the third time this year, the German added: “It’s great for us as a result.

“We had high expectations after the team had such a strong year last year but it is clear that the rule change penalised Mercedes and ourselves.

“They had such a big gap last year that that gap is gone and people forget because they’re still at the front but obviously it hurt us quite a lot and we feel back. It is what it is.

“We’re not whingeing or complaining, we’ve got to explain to people and now we have to make the most out of it. Street circuits, there’s always something special that can happen and we used that opportunity.”