Vettel: Ferrari's rules and traditions are 'misunderstood'

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Sebastian Vettel says that Ferrari's unique motor racing culture is largely not properly understood by those on the outside of the factory gates at Maranello.

"The strength of this team is the passion for Ferrari," Vettel told Motorsport.com last month in an exclusive interview.

"It's very Italian inside, has very Italian rules and traditions - which is great that they are kept. But equally it's very modern," he added. "I think sometimes also this is misunderstood

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"You look at Italy to say that they are very traditional with lots of things and 'la mamma' and all this, whatever.

"But you know people are still very, very forward thinking," he insisted. "We have a lot of young great talents in the team, great people with great ideas, creative ideas.

"That's why in a way it's a shame that we haven't - you know, in terms of results – haven't had that breakthrough yet," he continued.

"That's why also the focus is there to keep working, do our thing, because I believe that one day we'll be there."

Vettel insisted that even after five years at Ferrari with only limited success and no championships, his commitment to the team and to the Ferrari mythos remained undimmed.

"We are not at the top," he acknowledged. "We made a lot of experiences: I think there were some great moments, and there were some moments that were not so great

"Obviously Mercedes has beaten us the last years, so the mission is still up," he added. "But as I said, the mission is still there - and the target is still there to achieve the mission, to win with Ferrari.

"I think that's what drives people coming in and going out every day," he offered. "I think it's really the legend and the myth of this brand, and to become a part of that history."

Vettel is currently negotiating an extension to his current contract with Ferrari, which expires at the end of the current season.

His team mate Charles Leclerc has already extended his stay at Maranello until the end of 2024, suggesting that the team sees the Monegasque as a key part of their long-term future.

Leclerc beat Vettel to fourth place in last year's driver standings by 24 points after winning two races to Vettel's single victory at Singapore.

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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.