F1 News, Reports and Race Results

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

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.

"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."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.

Recent Posts

Marko: ‘No chance at all’ for Red Bull in Las Vegas

Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are unlikely to challenge for victory…

10 hours ago

GM revives bid to join F1 with accelerated talks for 2026 entry

Automotive giant General Motors is reportedly back in the game as a potential entrant in…

12 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Thursday's action in pictures

The opening day of running at the Las Vegas GP was a smooth but chilly…

13 hours ago

Williams' headaches persist into Vegas practice

Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…

15 hours ago

Ferrari's Sainz 'not satisfied with where we are' in Vegas

It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…

16 hours ago

Norris labels McLaren long-run pace ‘shocking’ in chilly Vegas

Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…

17 hours ago