Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsFerrari

Vettel thanks Ferrari for 'fantastic' first year

Sebastian Vettel has thanked Ferrari after what he described as a "fantastic" first year with the team.

Following the end of a run of four consecutive drivers' championships with Red Bull, Vettel moved to Ferrari ahead of the 2015 season having failed to win a race the year before. Ferrari had similarly struggled in 2014 with the team registering just two podium finishes courtesy of Fernando Alonso as Mercedes dominated.

This season saw Vettel take three victories as Ferrari emerged as Mercedes' nearest challenger and speaking at the team's Christmas lunch he thanked the staff for their help in his first year.

“This, my first year with Ferrari, has been fantastic, with plenty of successes," Vettel said. "Hearing the German and Italian national anthems on the podium was an indescribable feeling. Thanks to all you men and women at Ferrari who, every year, put together this red miracle. Thanks for the affection you have shown me.”

Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was part of the Ferrari team which struggled in 2014 and says he noticed the difference in team atmosphere this season.

"This year did not get off to a very good start for me, but it ended on an upbeat," Raikkonen said. "We must continue working together and then I’m sure the results will come. Because now, we are really a team and actually, I’m sure we will be a great team.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.