Vettel relying on 'good car' to recapture winning momentum

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Despite ceding the championship lead to Lewis Hamilton in Azerbaijan, Sebastian Vettel remains confident he will return to the winner's circle thanks to his Ferrari's overall level of performance.

The German driver who won the two opening rounds of the world championship earlier this season lost out big time in Baku, challenging for a race win in the closing stages of the event only to end up fourth after a bold attempt to seize the lead with just a handful of laps to go sent him down the order.

Vettel salvaged a spot just outside the podium thanks to the misfortune which befell Valtteri Bottas who was demoted from first on the penultimate lap by a tyre puncture.

Rival teams take aim at several details of Ferrari's SF71-H

The Scuderia driver now trails arch-rival Hamilton in the Drivers' standing by four points, but still feels comfortable with his level of performance.

"The most important thing is that we have a good car," Vettel said.

"We have a car that we can work with in qualifying. If we can put it in the front we can fight for a win. We have good pace in the race."

Indeed, while it's early days still, Vettel's hopes of succeeding this year where he failed in 2017 are bolstered by his belief in the all-round qualities of Ferrari's SF71-H.

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"I’m not worried at all because I think it’s quite different to last year where in qualifying for most of the time for most of the year we weren’t competitive enough.

"And also then later in the season in the race we weren’t competitive enough to make things happen."

“But if you are quick enough you can make things happen," added the four-time world champion.

"Now the way the race turned out is for some people good, for some people bad – speak to Valtteri I’m pretty sure he’s not sure because it was his win! – but that’s how it goes.

"As I said I’m not worried because the car is there and we need to make sure it stays there."

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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.