Vettel admits that the Red Bull RB10 does not suit his style
Struggling since the beginning of the F1 season, Sebastian Vettel acknowledged that his 2014 vehicle, the Red Bull RB10, does not highlight his driving skills, without using it as an excuse.
Sebastian Vettel is experiencing a complicated 2014 season and stated that the Red Bull RB10 simply does not suit his driving style.
During the Singapore Grand Prix, the four-time reigning world champion achieved his best result of the season by finishing in 2nd place, ahead of his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, who has won three races and is in 3rd place in the drivers’ standings.
The work on understanding the German seems to have paid off, just like the recent change of chassis – the third used this season, but he remains convinced that the qualities of his mount are incompatible with his style: « Every time I want to attack or when something happens, it doesn’t occur, » he explained to our British colleagues of Autosport.
« I think it’s a characteristic of this year’s car, in conjunction with the downforce we have, with the tires. It’s just that it may not have given me what I want in a certain area of the corner yet. » However, he does not want to make an excuse since his teammate holds a 57-point lead over him: « It’s not an excuse, because in the end I have to get the best out of the car. We’ve made a lot of progress, but there are many things we can do better. »
Several elements evolved between 2013 and 2014, starting, of course, with the significant loss of support induced, notably, by the end of the use of blown diffusers and exhaust gases, which was a specialty of the latest Austrian single-seaters. Another issue for Vettel would be the corner entry, which must be less aggressive to favor better acceleration out of the turn, while the Renault hybrid block is experiencing a power deficit compared to Mercedes. The greater tire degradation resulting from these difficulties creates the conditions for a vicious circle.
His driving is affected: « Obviously, you drive in the way you think is the fastest, whether that means being conservative or attacking, it depends on the situation. It’s not as clear this year and it’s not always consistent, so that’s what’s difficult. » Will this issue be fixed before the end of the season? « Not in the short term, that’s for sure, because we would have already fixed it. »
« I think that, ultimately, as a driver, you would like to be able to go faster, but obviously it’s different this season. I believe we have been in better shape during the last two races but there are always things for which we are still a bit too on the edge, » he concluded.
