Sebastian Vettel claims he and Ferrari were “probably closer” to Mercedes in the Brazilian Grand Prix than at previous races, though the German spent most of the Interlagos event on his own.
Having qualified third, Vettel finished in the same position to secure his 13th podium of the season. The four-time world champion always remained within reasonable distance of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, but never looked like a genuine threat.
“I think it was a good race for us,” Vettel said. “I was hoping at the start maybe we could do something but it wasn't possible. I think the start was OK but it wasn't any better than Lewis or Nico's.
“After that, I thought about halfway through the first stint that maybe we could stay with them, but then they started to pull away.
“Overall I think we have to admit they were just a bit quicker, but I think we're probably closer here than many races before in terms of race pace, only maybe one, two or three tenths at a time. I think in the last stint we were even a bit quicker.”
Indeed, Vettel was running less than six seconds behind the Mercedes at some point in the final third of the race. But while he’s encouraged by Ferrari’s faring better against its rivals, the 28-year-old remains aware that the battle in front probably allowed him to cut the gap temporarily.
“In the end we had good speed and in clear air catching a little bit, but then again it's difficult to say how much Nico was controlling with Lewis behind. When you are in the lead it's always a bit different and not necessary to push into the unknown.”
With team-mate Kimi Raikkonen switching to a two-stop strategy, Vettel, who finished 14 seconds adrift of eventual winner Rosberg and can no longer beat him to P2 in the Drivers’ championship, admits to feeling slightly lonely during the race.
“For sure it wasn't very exciting. We were a bit in a no-man's land and didn't have anyone to fight with. Hopefully at the next race we can again be a bit closer.”
REPORT: Rosberg keeps Hamilton at bay to win in Brazil
AS IT HAPPENED: Brazilian Grand Prix
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