Vettel disappointed at having to battle with his team-mate in the sprint race
The final sprint race of the 2022 season was a lively one, with numerous on-track battles and daring overtakes. However, the battle between Sebastian Vettel and his team-mate Lance Stroll was over the top. The four-time German world champion believes that the team could have achieved a better result without this incident.
The Interlagos circuit is the layout of this Brazilian Grand Prix, it is hilly and very twisty. There are few opportunities for overtaking on the straight line. It was precisely in this case that Lance Stroll could have taken both Aston Martins out. The Canadian driver abruptly shifted to the left to protect his position and prevent his teammate from taking 11th place on the only straight line of the circuit. Sebastian Vettel was forced to put his wheels on the grass to avoid a disaster.
« Everything happened quickly, I plunged into the opening and he closed it. » declares the German pilot.
Then, I was halfway on the grass and I struggled to get back [on the track] but luckily, I managed it. After that, we decided to work together, I seemed to have a bit more rhythm and I was able to capitalize on that later.
The German driver understands his teammate’s aggressive defense, but he believes it penalized both drivers of the English team. According to him, Aston Martin could have probably achieved a better result and gained extra points on Alfa Romeo by taking advantage of the collision between the two Alpines.
“It doesn’t take much when fighting for a position. It’s obviously important to defend, but on the other hand, one should always question if one is not wasting more time than gaining. In addition, we are trying to work together, so I think we could have done better today, both of us, to not lose so much time and finish a little higher in the ranking,” he declared to Sky Sports’ microphone.
However, the pace of the English single-seater was satisfactory for Sebastian Vettel, who hopes to bring back some big points at the end of the race this Sunday, but to do so, he will have to resist the two Alpines. Aston Martin is in a battle with Alfa Romeo for 6th place in the constructors’ world championship. The Brazilian Grand Prix is an opportunity to consolidate this position in the standings for the English team.
« We will see, I think we have a good chance to fight for points but we must not forget that the Alpine cars will come back up because they are usually too fast… Our race pace was good, especially when it comes to tires. Maybe after all this time, I have learned something and I hope I can rely on this strength tomorrow.
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