Winner, Vettel “thinks he can live with” the weaknesses of his Ferrari

“What goes around comes around”, had warned Sebastian Vettel to a taunting Lewis Hamilton at a press conference on Saturday. Which can be translated into French as: " Who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind ". The German did not think he was saying that well, because if the Mercedes had blown away the paddock at the end of qualifying, that’s good the Ferrari with the number 5 that won the Australian Grand Prix Sunday.

As in 2017, a well-inspired strategy and a touch of success allowed the four-time world champion to overtake his opponent in the pit stop game. This time, it’s the arrival of the virtual safety car (to free Haas from Romain Grosjean) which was the key moment of the race. “When I saw the Haas stopped at turn 2, I became feverish, even though nothing was happening at that point in the event.", admit Sebastian Vettel.

“Coming into the pits the next lap, it was going to be a close call. On the radio, I was warned that it was going to be tight with Lewis. » and Ferrari passed in front of the Silver Arrow. “We had enough pace to stay ahead and make life difficult for him if he wanted to try something. » However, all is not rosy with the Reds, particularly in terms of pure performance.

Sebastian Vettel recognizes it, even if the car “has enormous potential, (he has) a bit of trouble”. “I would like the car is perfect as soon as I hit the brakes and turn the wheel, and I'm still not satisfied with it. It's not a big deal, I think I can live with it, but if we can get past this state, I will be more confident and it will make a big difference. »

The winner will also have to have more efficient equipment during the following rounds in order to be able to compete regularly with Mercedes. “If you look at the gaps over the whole weekend, we are not yet fully in the game against Mercedes. We were a bit lucky today.”, concludes the German.

Discover the report and analysis of the Australian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Melbourne, in issue 2158 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.