Briatore: 'Vettel mistakes prove he is his biggest enemy'

©WRI

Former Renault team manager Flavio Briatore believes Sebastian Vettel's whole approach to winning the championship this season has been wrong.

The Ferrari driver has seen the position of strength he enjoyed earlier this year progressively crumble on the back of mistakes, strategy errors by his team and a dwindling performance level of his car.

Ultimately however, Briatiore lays the blame for Vettel's likely defeat in the 2018 title fight on the German driver's approach to his championship ambitions.

"Sebastian is making a lot of mistakes this year, he is his biggest enemy," said the flamboyant fomer F1 boss, speaking to Nico Rosberg in the 2016 world champion's latest 'Beyond Victory' podcast.

"I believe Ferrari in this moment is quicker than Mercedes. They need to explain to him that a race is 62 or 64 laps, not one lap.

"I remember, we had the experience with Fernando [Alonso], when you win the championship, sometimes finishing third is bingo!"

Hamilton urges media 'to show more respect' for Vettel

Briatore pointed to Vettel's heat-of-the-moment attitude at Monza - when he clashed with Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap of the race - as a case study of his weakness.

"It's important you stay on the track, the accident in Monza made no sense," said the .-68-year-old Italian.

"You know the car is better, so just brake and go behind, you have 60 more laps to recover. If you go out, you have zero laps to recover.

"The target is to just put the points, not win every race. A championship is not how many races you win, it's how many points you have."

Briatore acknowledged however that Ferrari should also be held accountable for its driver's current 67-point deficit to Hamilton in the championship standings.

"The team made a lot of mistakes in the last races, strategy, etc… It's difficult to understand when you have the superiority of the car."

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.