Sebastian Vettel admits he has “homework” to do after a disappointing final result at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The German was soundly beaten by teammate Charles Leclerc in both qualifying and the race, and would ultimately fall to a fifth-place finish as he spun after being overtaken by Lewis Hamilton for P2.
That moment reminded many of the two spins he had by himself towards the end of last year while battling wheel-to-wheel, with some suggesting Vettel had again succumbed to the pressure.
“To be honest, I don’t think it has anything to do with pressure,” he responded post-race.
“Obviously, when I was fighting with Lewis, the target was to stay ahead and that was the ambition. I got surprised when I lost the rear that suddenly, and then when I was in the spin it was already too late.
“Certainly I had a look at it again, certainly it was my mistake and I need to digest that our race could have been a bit better without that spin at that time.”
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His evaluation will go well beyond just that one incident though, as another conclusion being drawn is Vettel’s performance this weekend highlights why Ferrari mustn’t solely back him in the championship fight.
“It was a difficult race and there is plenty of homework on my side this weekend not having the feel for the car, especially yesterday and today, so we need to have a good look,” he explained.
“From a team’s point of view, it was a good step forward from two weeks ago. Plenty of reason to look forward, and generally, I am looking forward.
“Certainly, I am not happy today, but I am quite happy to get in the car for Wednesday for the test and there is quite a lot of things I would like to try.”
