Vettel hampered by traffic and tyres in point-less Styrian Grand Prix

Sam Hall
Sunday 27 June 2021 20:13

Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel was left cursing his luck after struggling with traffic and tyre degradation in a lacklustre Styrian Grand Prix.

After qualifying just 14th for the first of two F1 races at the Red Bull Ring, Vettel was aware he would be in for a challenging afternoon but the difficulties of the 71 laps trumped even his limited expectations.

"We were mostly in traffic," said the German, whose run of three consecutive races in the points came to an end. "So it's hard to judge and then at the end, I was struggling with the tyres.

"It was very close. Everybody was doing more or less the same pace so it was difficult to stand out today from where we started."

Crossing the line 12th, Vettel added: "I think we tried. Obviously, with hindsight, it is obvious what we might have done differently in the race but we have another chance next week."

Stroll relishes Alonso fight

Compared to Vettel, team-mate Lance Stroll enjoyed a more positive weekend as the Canadian claimed four points for eighth after starting from ninth.

Lining up a place behind two-time champion Alonso, Stroll made his intentions clear at the start and recalled the overtake after the race.

"It was a good first lap," said Stroll. "I overtook Fernando around the outside and that really set us up for a good rest of the race.

"From there it was just maximum attack and I'm happy to get some good points for the team today.

"The Ferraris seemed a bit too quick [for us] today. They had really good pace so I don't think we could have got much more out of it."