Vettel 'not worried' after bad weekend at Monza

  • Published on 05 Sep 2017 16:49
  • comments 0
  • By: Rob Veenstra

Sebastian Vettel says there will be "no panic" at Ferrari after a bad home race at Monza. The German lost his long championship lead to Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in the Italian grand prix, following a second consecutive defeat to the Briton. The Italian press said it was a "cold shower" for Ferrari at home, while team president Sergio Marchionne called it "embarrassing".

But Niki Lauda, the Mercedes team chairman, thinks Ferrari simply made a fundamental setup mistake at Monza. "Marchionne told me that he was not satisfied with the setup," the F1 legend told Kronen Zeitung newspaper. "I think they made a mistake, because under normal circumstances we would never have run away like that," Lauda added. "The normal difference between Mercedes and Ferrari is one, two tenths per lap, but this time it was double."

Ferrari's Vettel agrees that Monza was a one-off for Ferrari. "We have a very strong car -- very strong," he told La Repubblica newspaper. "We will have a great season finale, I'm sure of that." Vettel confirmed Lauda's suspicion that it was the car setup that derailed his challenge at Monza.

"Since the start I did not feel the car and in the last 20 laps I struggled a lot. It was just a bad race. I'm not worried about the future -- I'm optimistic. In spite of the numbers and the odds, the championship is still very long and we will not disappoint the people who want us to do well," he added.

However, of the seven remaining circuits, four of them might be said to favour Mercedes on paper -- Sepang, Suzuka, Austin and Abu Dhabi. "Things on paper do not interest me," Vettel insisted. "As well as what is on paper, there is the extra element of competition that makes a difference. In short, the more difficult it is, the more fun it is. In sports, the easy things are boring," he added. (GMM)

Replies (0)

Login to reply

BE Grand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

BEGrand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

World Championship standings 2025

Show full world champion standings

Test calendar

See full test schedule

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2025

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Bahrain
14 - Mar 16
Australia
21 - Mar 23
China
4 - Apr 6
Japan
11 - Apr 13
Bahrain
18 - Apr 20
Saudi Arabia
2 - May 4
United States of America
16 - May 18
Italy
23 - May 25
Monaco
30 - Jun 1
Spain
13 - Jun 15
Canada
27 - Jun 29
Austria
4 - Jul 6
United Kingdom
25 - Jul 27
Belgium
1 - Aug 3
Hungary
29 - Aug 31
Netherlands
5 - Sep 7
Italy
19 - Sep 21
Azerbaijan
3 - Oct 5
Singapore
17 - Oct 19
United States of America
24 - Oct 26
Mexico
7 - Nov 9
Brazil
21 - Nov 23
United States of America
28 - Nov 30
Qatar
5 - Dec 7
United Arab Emirates
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2025

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
14 - Mar 16
Australia Albert Park
21 - Mar 23
4 - Apr 6
11 - Apr 13
18 - Apr 20
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
2 - May 4
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
16 - May 18
23 - May 25
Monaco Monte Carlo
30 - Jun 1
13 - Jun 15
27 - Jun 29
Austria Red Bull Ring
4 - Jul 6
United Kingdom Silverstone
25 - Jul 27
1 - Aug 3
Hungary Hungaroring
29 - Aug 31
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
5 - Sep 7
Italy Monza
19 - Sep 21
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
3 - Oct 5
17 - Oct 19
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
24 - Oct 26
7 - Nov 9
Brazil Interlagos
21 - Nov 23
United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
28 - Nov 30
5 - Dec 7
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team Aston Martin
  • Points 1,480
  • Podiums 56
  • Grand Prix 161
  • Country DE
  • Date of b. Jul 3 1987 (37)
  • Place of b. Heppenheim, DE
  • Weight 62 kg
  • Length 1.75 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar