Vettel unruffled by 16-race winless streak

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel claims he isn't frustrated by his 16-race dry spell in F1, insisting both himself and his team have always done their best.

Vettel's last victory goes back to the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa last year, although the German driver's fans would likely argue that he was the winner on the track recently in Montreal.

Last weekend's French Grand Prix saw Ferrari test a series of updates on its SF90, but Vettel could only manage a fifth-place finish on race day while teammate Charles Leclerc came home third.

"I am not frustrated," said Vettel in France. "It is not like we had 15 races to win and we didn’t win them, then I’d be frustrated.

"We did the best we could and I think arguably this year I think we could have had two shots so far, and one obviously Charles had a troubled race and I wasn’t there in that race, and the other one at least we crossed the line first but I think we covered that.

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"I think it all depends when looking back but generally, I’m pretty happy with the races I’ve had.

"You always think you could do a bit more here and there, but it is not as if we have dominated the past 15 races."

Ferrari's under-performance has disappointed its fans and indeed fans of F1 in general as Mercedes' supremacy isn't healthy for the sport longer term.

Vettel says the shortfall, while disappointing, hasn't eroded his motivation or competitive spirit.

"I think what is important is to look back at these races and understand what we need to do better than generally look forward," he added.

"That’s the way I approach. I love racing, nothing has changed about that, I really enjoyed the race today I was lonely, but it was nice in terms of being able to push yourself lap by lap.

"For sure it would’ve been nicer to challenge for the win rather than fifth and chasing in the distance the guys in front but yeah that’s where we currently are and the key is to keep our heads down and keep our focus to make sure we are not there the entire year.

"Obviously we’d like to be in a better position now, we are not, so it’s up to us to work better and work better than them to close the gap as soon as we can.”

"I don’t spend too much time thinking left and right. I think it’s key that we concentrate on what’s important to get us in a better place in the next race and in the next couple of weeks and months."

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