F1 News

Vettel was never comfortable during Belgian Grand Prix

Vettel was never comfortable during Belgian Grand Prix

02-09-2019 13:43

Sebastian Vettel had to watch his teammate drive off and claim his maiden F1 win on Sunday and the German has admitted it wasn't his finest race and revealed he struggled throughout with grip.

Vettel finished fourth at the Belgian Grand Prix whilst Charles Leclerc, his teammate finished first holding off a late surge from Lewis Hamilton. Despite Ferrari having a considerable speed advantage against their Mercedes rivals, Vettel dropped two places from his starting place.

Vettel revealed what might have been to cause for his lack of pace when his teammate was able to drive off into the distance.

"I didn't have the pace, I didn't feel comfortable with the car," said Vettel as quoted by Autosport.

"I was going through the tyres way too quick.

"I was struggling to feel the grip, to stay on top of the tyres, I was sliding too much. It was quite a tough race for me.

"And obviously from that point where we came in quite early it was clear that we won't be there until the end. I guess I was sliding more [than Leclerc] but I don't know why.

"[The race approach] was about the team. After the first couple of laps I felt I was not able to look after the tyres the way I would like, and from that point onwards I was just there to try and help the team, which I did."