Sebastian Vettel admits there was no obvious reason for the suspension failure which ended his US Grand Prix.
The German suffered a miserable race in Austin, dropping to seventh on the opening lap before retiring after just eight laps in, having failed to regain any places since the start.
Excessively large bumps had been an issue for some at Circuit of the Americas during the weekend, but Vettel denied there was anything “different” on the lap when his failure occurred.
“There was very poor grip in the first lap, I had to let a lot of cars by, and I struggled really to get the car to work, especially in right-hand corners,” he said initially explaining the bad start.
“Some laps in, the suspension failed over the bump in Turn 9, but I’ve done nothing different to the previous laps and the whole weekend.
“I’ve been taking a lot of care and I didn’t do anything different, but surely something broke, so something didn’t last.”
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Ferrari then issued a message to teammate Charles Leclerc warning about a new kerb which had been installed before the race to stop drivers cutting the inside of Turn 8.
I think that it’s a bit of a joke,” the four-time champion said of the decision to add the small sausage kerb, “But I didn’t hit the kerb.”
Vettel’s failure was the epitome of a terrible day for Ferrari, as Leclerc finished over 50 seconds behind race winner Valtteri Bottas in fourth.
That led to rivals suggesting a new technical directive aimed at stopping teams bypassing the fuel flow limit had neutered the Italian team’s engine advantage.
However, Vettel is confident it was simply a one-off blip.
“I think it was clear that something didn’t work,” said the German of Ferrari’s pace.
“Obviously we have been not just a little bit behind but significantly slower, so I hope it is not an issue for the last two races.
“The mindset is clear. We want to win.”