Vettel: 'I just couldn't go any faster'

Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) quietly ends his 2017 year. Certainly, the German climbs onto the third step of the podium in Abu Dhabi. However, he never weighed on the progress of the event, and never came to tickle the duo of Mercedes at the head of the event.

It's not for lack of trying, assures the four-time world champion with Red Bull. “During the first laps, I really did my best to follow them. Then I locked my front wheels and flattened my first set of tires.", analyzes the Scuderia pilot.

Sebastian Vettel didn't really have a thrilling ordeal. “I just couldn’t go any faster. The Mercedes escaped. Afterwards, the race was quite lonely. We had better pace after the pit stop, but not enough to challenge the two leading drivers. »

The Ferrari driver also bluntly recognizes the domination of the Silver Arrows over the whole year. “We have to be honest, Mercedes was better than Ferrari. I think we had our chances, we took them, we had a few races where we scored big points even though we were on the razor's edge. I am thinking in particular of Bahrain, where we passed near the mechanical scrapyard. In Hungary too, I don't think we should have won with a management problem. »

“Mercedes has been more consistent throughout the season. But I want to focus on the progress we have managed to make. I don't think you can fully understand how much the team has improved since last year. »