This last week, Sebastian Vettel has been the subject of harsh criticism from the Italian press due to what they perceive as a lack of performance in his second year in Maranello. The German pilot he now occupies the fifth position in the championship, with 153 points, seven less than his team-mate, Kimi Räikkönen, and only six more than Max Verstappen, after a season hampered by various incidents and mechanical problems, and the fact that Ferrari still has not managed to make it sound the anthem of the Italian podium doesn’t help.
In the midst of these criticisms, Maurizio Arrivabene made some ambiguous statements after the qualifying session of the japanese Grand Prix. To the microphone Sky Sports Italia, the head of the team ferrarista would not talk about the future of Vettel at the Scuderia beyond what the German has signed (up to 2017) and commented that its pilots had to earn a renewal in the track: “Sebastian has a contract. We will work together this year and the next. During the next year, as we shall see. We both have goals, so it is only right that anyone, no matter who, win his position, and his salary“.
After qualifying, Vettel was asked about it by Autosport. The German pilot threw balls outside, stating that between he and Arrivabene there is a fluid relationship, and considers that there is no disagreement to resolve:
“Not what I’ve heard, but in general I have a very direct and honest with him. If there is something that I do not like, is what I say, and he does the same. I Know that between us there is nothing that we have to solve. The goal of both is to try to get the same thing: we are trying to win races, to be stronger, especially in the future, and that’s where it is the primary objective.”
to Beat Red Bull, great result, “a year of ups and downs”
In the proper classification, Vettel finished in fourth position. Although he achieved his goal and beat the two Red Bull, leaving Max Verstappen a tenth, its 1:31.028, less than 4 tenths from the pole position, was insufficient to overcome Kimi Räikkönen, which was 79 milliseconds. The penalty of three positions to be placed at Nico Rosberg at the exit from the Malaysian Grand Prix means that the four-time champion will start the race in Japan since the seventh place, after the Force India Sergio Perez.
Vettel regretted having lost time in the final sector of his lap in Q3, but expressed his satisfaction for having been faster than the Red Bull, and hoped that the strategy will help them reach the podium.
“it Has been a great result for us as a team: for my part, estropeé a little Q3 in the last sector, and I lost too much time. In summary, it has been a good qualifying session, our car has behaved well by a combination of several things, and it is satisfactory that the two cars have been in front of the Red Bull. I will begin a bit more back for the penalty, but it is what it is. Even so, the speed will help us to come back up, and then we will see what we can do, I think it will be a battle unmatched. It will depend a lot of how to drive people to your tires, because in the first batch all bear the same compound.”
Vettel also reflected on the course of his season and his team. Considered that some of their results this season have been unfair with the performance of the car, and hoped that what was learned this year to be of utility to cope with the change of regulation in 2018 with the best possible basis:
“I want to perform at the level that the team wants to pay. I have had other races that I have not and I have not been happy with myself, because there was more at stake. it Has been a year of ups and downs. The results that we have not always been fair and rewarding, given the pace that we have shown on different weekends, but sometimes it is as well. Now, the main goal is not to concentrate too much on that and try to progress up to the end of the year. we will Take everything we learn this year to the next, although the rules change. There are still many things that we have learned of the car this year that will help us”.
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