Sebastian Vettel is vowing to do better in 2020 as he looked back on a year of ups and downs following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The German would finish fifth in the season finale as Ferrari opted for a two-stop strategy with their cars, while teammate Charles Leclerc ended on the podium in third.
But after a year when his talent vs. his main rivals has been questioned along with his future in F1, he acknowledged 2019 hasn’t been his finest.
“We didn’t have the year we were hoping for, full stop,” Vettel reflected at Yas Marina. “I think the reasons are clear, I think the lessons are clear and now we have to make sure we take them on board.
“I think as a team we must perform stronger, and as an individual, I think I must do better and I can do better. It wasn’t a great year from my side.
“I don’t think it was as bad as it looks, there were many small things leading to a very grey picture in the end but I am the first one to look at myself,” he added.
“If I’m honest, I know I can do better and that is for sure the target for next year.
“We need to make a step forward and hopefully we get a stronger package as well to be able to fight with Mercedes and Red Bull.”
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For much of the season, the spotlight has been on Vettel and the rising challenge from teammate Charles Leclerc, who ended the year with more wins and more points than the four-time world champion.
A collision between the pair in Brazil had raised questions on whether Ferrari could maintain the equal status going forward into 2020 but team boss Mattia Binotto revealed that will be the case, at first.
“Obviously now we just finished the season and there will be time from now to Australia, but when we started this season, the situation was quite different,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“We had a rookie and an experienced driver. If you look at the last races they were free to race and I think that is where we start from.
“Charles has surprised everybody, not only myself. He is very fast, he has proved to manage the pressure and proved to manage the entire season.
“He’s good at battling, he’s good at racing, so we are very happy with him.
“I think that his season has been outstanding. Starting seven times on pole, two victories, on his very first year and finishing ahead of Sebastian in the championship, it’s still an achievement.”
And asked about the relationship with Leclerc, Vettel insists the scrutiny they have faced doesn’t match the reality.
“Obviously it’s unfortunate what happened [in Brazil], and we want to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he stated.
“That’s clear. That’s the most important. The key for me is that we get along, we don’t have a problem with each other.
“I know that the outside tries to hype this a little bit, but actually there’s nothing to worry about from the inside.”
