Sebastian Vettel is playing down any claims of mental weakness after his latest mistake at the Italian Grand Prix.
While teammate Charles Leclerc held off both Mercedes’ for victory at Monza, the German spun out of contention at Ascari on Lap 6 before also getting a penalty for unsafely rejoining the track.
That moment marked the eighth critical mistake that has either result in a spin, crash or penalty since his infamous off at Hockenheim last year.
And in contrast to the joy of the Tifosi after Leclerc’s win, Vettel was asked on Thursday ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, if this was the worst moment in his 13-year Formula 1 career.
“I don’t remember all my career, to be honest, it’s obviously been quite a while that I’ve been around, but certainly it’s not the best one right now, but also not the worse one either,” he said.
“I still love racing and I look forward to a lot of races this year to hopefully get in a better position and finish the season in the way we want. Then prepare for next year.”
Also Read:
- Vettel counting on unpredictable Singapore to help Ferrari
- Ferrari expect chances to win again in 2019 but is Vettel ‘damaged’?
- Was Monza the final blow in Vettel’s complex relationship with the Tifosi?
When followed up then on whether it was one of the most difficult, he replied: “I don’t know. I don’t compare it, I take it as what it is and it’s obviously not great but ultimately it’s not a disaster.
“I think in the race weekend the race is the peak and the highlight, one moment can change the whole race and in that case, it did.
“Obviously I was the first one to admit the mistake after the race and was very clear. Unfortunately, these things are part of us and part of racing.
“It’s not the level that I want to perform but these things can happen to all of us every now and again.”
One thing Vettel was clear on is that he can recover from this current slump, believing a lot of his current problems are due to a lack of confidence in the current Ferrari car.
“No I don’t think it’s mental, it’s not that I’m in the wrong place,” he said. “I think I’m doing the right things so that’s why I think it’s crucial not to complicate things too much.
“Here and there I might not have the absolute trust in the car and the best feeling yet, but I think it’s improving, my understanding of the car, and then it’s a question of lining up the details.
“But I’m sure that things will click and start to fall into place, so we need to keep our heads down. There are always things we can do better and that I can do better and work on, so we will see how the next races go.”