“Small mistake” and “big disappointment” for Vettel after his crash!
The striking image of the weekend will undoubtedly be his off-track excursion in the curve of the thirteenth turn, with significant consequences for the drivers' overall standings!
25 points vanished in an instant, in a corner. Rarely had Sebastian Vettel made such a decisive error in a title race. Then in the lead of his national Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver had avoided the obstacles. The main one was getting past Kimi Räikkönen, his teammate, who had been leading since the 26th lap. Faster, the four-time world champion negotiated for long minutes with the pit wall for Räikkönen to step aside, as he was running on more worn tires.
But for Vettel, everything fell apart when the rain arrived. An uncertain, uneven track. A slightly too late braking in the wet, in the tight curve of the thirteenth turn. And above all, this crash: unable to do anything, Vettel slid and hit the wall. Stuck in the gravel, front suspensions bent: his race ended there! The cost is high for the former Red Bull driver who had nearly a nine-second lead over Bottas before the accident.
« I don’t think it was a big mistake, but it had a big impact on the race since I had to retire », the German acknowledged lucidly to the journalists’ microphones, his face closed.
Still in shock, the local of the area told us how he experienced the event:
« I just realized once I hit the wall that I couldn’t go back. It’s one of those moments you want to avoid.
I had this victory in my hands. It was a small mistake, but in the end, it’s a big disappointment. Everything was going well until then… But I’m not going to lose sleep over it tonight.
In response, Sebastian Vettel also apologized to his entire team, which had executed everything perfectly.
« As I had already said before, we did not need the rain » acknowledged the unfortunate hero of the day, who remains confident nonetheless. Engine, aerodynamics… Scuderia Ferrari has made significant progress in recent weeks.
Even with a 17-point deficit to Hamilton, the main party remains full of enthusiasm for the rest of the season. “We have a very good car, we can be more confident than anyone else.” Despite everything, Vettel missed an opportunity to win at Hockenheim, something he has never done in six participations.
