Sebastian Vettel would be a content man after winning the Australian Grand Prix, or so you would assume.
Vettel won the Australian Grand Prix without having to overtake Hamilton and Raikkonen, both of whom had started the race from the front row. A VSC intervention and a smart pit stop from Ferrari meant that Vettel could use circumstances to his advantage to pip Hamilton and Kimi to win the Australian GP.
Vettel, however was not impressed by the pace of the Ferrari and felt that a lot of work had to be done in order to match Mercedes’ pace and performance during qualifying and on race days.
“We didn’t have the true race pace to match [Mercedes],” Vettel said.
“If we’re fair, Lewis was fastest whereas last year I think we had a bit more pace at this point. Last year we were putting them under pressure.
“At the moment we’re a bit worse [compared to last year]. If you look at the gaps from the whole weekend we are not yet a true match so at this point we are not yet where we want to be.
“When I’m racing the car doesn’t respond the way you would like. I want the car to be spot on when I hit the brakes and turn in. I’m still struggling a little bit and I’m not yet happy.”
Vettel acknowledged the luck factor that helped him win the Australian Grand Prix but felt that Ferrari were due some luck after the 2017 campaign.
“Needless to say we got a bit lucky with the timing of the Safety Car but equally I think we had some races, in particular last year, where it went the other way. I’ve been on the other side as well. Good points and for everyone back at home I think there are motivations to press on.” Vettel concluded.
