Vettel denies Bahrain spin the result of mounting 'pressure'

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Sebastian Vettel refuted suggestions that his costly spin in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix was the result of pressure piling on the Ferrari driver following last year's mistakes.

Vettel threw away big points on several occasions last season, and he did it again in Bahrain while battling wheel-to-wheel with arch-rival Lewis Hamilton.

The multiple mishaps have led many pundits to believe that the German becomes error-prone in the heat of the action.

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"I can’t believe that we’ve seen exactly the same Sebastian Vettel today as we’ve seen throughout the past year," 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg told Sky F1.

"First of all the team messes up the strategy and he gets angry, then comes the race day, one wheel-to-wheel battle and he spins it away completely on his own and loses the full weekend.

"He needs to find a way out of that now."

Asked whether pressure had been the culprit of his error on Sunday, Vettel dismissed that interpretation.

"To be honest I don’t think it has anything to do with pressure," Vettel said.

"I got surprised when I lost the rear that sudden, and once I was in the spin it was already too late.

"Certainly, I had a look at it again. It was my mistake so I need to digest that."

Also queried on the subject of Vettel's ability to face the fire, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto defended his driver.

"I don’t think we should discuss mistakes," he said.

"We need to encourage our drivers because it’s only by driving to the limit that they can achieve the best result."

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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.