Vettel admits his faults: “It was my mistake”

There was a taste of the end of the 2018 season for Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari), this Sunday March 31 in Sakhir (Bahrain). The German only finished fifth of a race that he could have won, or at least finished on the podium. But it was without counting on a spin on the 38th lap, like many times last year.

So in a fight with Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), the four-time world champion cracked under pressure from the Englishman and made a mistake exiting turn 4. “It was my mistake, He considers. It happened very quickly. I suddenly lost my rear. JI wanted to keep the inside line for turn 6 like the previous lap, but the rear escaped me.

Then we were unlucky to break the front wing due to vibrations (related to the “flats” on the four tires. Editor’s note). It's disappointing. I feel sorry for the team, we were heading towards a good result. I had difficulty with the soft tires at the start of the race. It was a little better with the mids though. »

Mattia Binotto, the boss of the Scuderia, wanted to reassure his driver as soon as he crossed the finish line. « The next race will be the good one. Don't worry. You did your best, you had a fantastic race. These things can happen”, he said on Sebastian Vettel’s radio. 

However, this should not happen again. The wearer of number 5 is already 22 points behind Valtteri Bottas and 21 units of disbursement on Lewis Hamilton.

Discover the analysis of the Bahrain GP carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2210 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.