Vettel left in 'no man's land' in lonely run to P3

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Sebastian Vettel's run to third in Abu Dhabi was as uneventful as it was lonely, with the Ferrari left to contend with himself in "no man's land" for most of the race.

The German battled with his Mercedes rivals in the first few laps in Sunday's race before falling back and spending the evening on his own, finishing 15 seconds behind second-placed man Kewis Hamilton.

"The first couple of laps I thought it was pretty good but then I had to let them go. I couldn’t go with the pace that they had," Vettel said.

"After that I think I settled into a rhythm but I was on my own and the gap was quite big so I could close a bit in the final stages, but it didn’t really matter because we were a bit in no man’s land.

Bottas leads Hamilton to Mercedes 1-2 in Abu Dhabi

"Overall I think it’s been a good race, the second stint for me was better. But we lost the connection in the race in the first stint.

"Yeah, would have liked to be a bit more in the fight today to put those two under pressure."

While the 2017 runner-up in the world championship admitted he wasn't where he wanted to be, he insisted there were still positives to take away from his race and the year's campaign.

"I’m obviously happy with the podium, it was a good result. Strong result for the team, third and fourth. But overall not where we wanted to be."

"I would’ve preferred to win today, it would’ve done the same for the driver’s championship but still, obviously I think there’s lots of positives to take from this season," Vettel said.

"Overall, it’s been a good day."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.