Vettel: a remarkable comeback that doesn’t erase the frustration of the start
After the finish, Sebastian Vettel was torn between the feeling of having made a solid comeback to the second step of the podium and the disappointment of not having been able to fight against Nico Rosberg after having been hindered at the start of the race by Daniil Kvyat, and by his teammate Kimi Räikkönen, himself destabilized by the Red Bull.
The German driver, on the podium, was fuming against the Russian while recounting his tumultuous first corners: « The race? But there was this car on my left… That’s why I hit… And there was an accident because of that! It’s difficult to know what he [Kvyat] wanted to do. I didn’t have a very good start. So I was in trouble at the first corner. Kimi locked his wheel and went wide, I tried to take advantage, but Daniil must have tried to do the same. He tried to sneak inside, Kimi was outside, and we touched. We were lucky because we could continue the race, but it’s not the best possible result for the team he conceded at the finish.
Sebastian Vettel, who pitted early, was still able to take advantage of the Safety Car to showcase the speed of his Ferrari and claim the scalps of both Red Bulls. His second position, though more than thirty seconds behind Rosberg, is the result of a salutary comeback and confirms the potential of his single-seater: “I had a lot of cars to overtake and I had a lot of fun. The Chinese fans were fantastic, they supported us greatly. It’s very nice to come here,” concluded Vettel.
Sebastian Vettel now expects to be able to fight on equal terms, without any hiccups at the start, with the two Silver Arrows. In the drivers’ standings, he is six points behind Lewis Hamilton but finds himself 42 points behind Nico Rosberg.
