Vettel: “We can put pressure on Mercedes”

Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) don't let yourself get discouraged. Second in the general classification of Drivers behind Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), the German is 24 points behind the Silver Arrow before the planned return to Belgium (August 24-26).

The leader of the Scuderia knows that he left big points along the way during the first part of the 2018 season. “The pendulum swings sometimes in our direction, sometimes not. From my point of view, I think it's been pretty regular. The mistake that was really costly was Germany. »

While comfortably in the lead, the Ferrari left the track when the rain arrived. “It was a small mistake, I wasn't attacking too much but I went off the road. » Sebastian Vettel was also able to increase his lead before retiring in front of his supporters at Hockenheim.

“It’s part of the game, he sweeps away. I can't go back. It hurts us, of course, but I am confident that we can put Mercedes under pressure and do important things in the second half of the season. »

In 2017, it was precisely during this final part of the exercise that Sebastian Vettel lost the lead, with a collision in Singapore and various mechanical problems in Malaysia and Japan. “Last year we lost the championship because, I think, the car was not fast enough, despite the retirements. »

Everything changed 12 months later. " Our car is faster and stronger. It still has a lot of potential to extract. There are still things in the pipeline to improve this and I am optimistic. »