F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Vettel confident Ferrari can sustain its momentum at Paul Ricard

Sebastian Vettel admits everyone will be racing into the unknown at Paul Ricard this weekend, but the German is nevertheless confident Ferrari's recent form can be upheld.

Like his colleagues, the world championship leader will venture out on to Paul Ricard's current configuration for the very first time, but the prospect doesn't trouble Vettel.

"The car has worked everywhere so far, and we are very happy about it," said Vettel.

"It’s more difficult to know what to expect here than on any other track, as we’ve never been properly here with the other teams at the same time and on the same circuit layout.

Vettel has raked in three wins so far in 2019 to lead Lewis Hamilton in the title fight by just a single point.

However, the recently resurfaced Circuit Paul Ricard has compelled Pirelli to bring back once again its thinner tread tyres last seen at Barcelona, where Ferrari and Vettel struggled.

The four-time world champion insists however that the Scuderia's relative under-performance in Spain was not tyre-related.

"We found what made us so uncompetitive in Spain," he said.

"The problem was not the new tyre, but how we prepared our car for them. We were wrong. That makes me confident that when we use these stiffer tyres again, we'll know what to do.

"We’ll see how it will be, I don’t see any reason why we should struggle and I think we should be doing fine here, but we don’t know exactly what to expect, the asphalt is new and the track is also new to a certain extent," added Vettel.

"The fact that we’ve been competitive so far in most of the recent races makes us quite confident for the next ones.

"We’ll focus on the next races always going step by step. I’m looking forward to racing here!"

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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.

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