Vettel not giving up on 2018 title
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the highly influential Italian sports daily, Sebastian Vettel said "Ciao Mondiali" to his hopes in Singapore.
It means goodbye to the world championship, but neither the German driver, his Ferrari boss, or his former chief at Red Bull agree that it's quite over yet.
Vettel fell a full 40 points behind Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in Singapore, but Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene said that with six races still to go, the Maranello team won't give up.
"Nothing is lost," he insisted. "We'll be calm and determined for the last races and fight to the end."
Christian Horner, Vettel's former boss at Red Bull where he won all of his four previous titles, agrees with Arrivabene about the German driver's fighting qualities.
"I think he was 40 points down in 2012," the Briton is quoted by Brazil's Globo.
"Ferrari has a very fast car and there are 150 points available. Obviously it looks as though Lewis is in charge, but Seb is very good under pressure and certainly will not give up," added Horner.
Vettel confirmed that hypothesis, telling Germany's Sport Bild that he has not forgotten how he won his earlier four world championships.
Asked how he can win again in 2018, Vettel answered: "First, because I can. I've proved it four times.
"Second, because we have a car that is on par with Mercedes.
"Singapore didn't help. It's disappointing if you can win races and you do not. But I still think we can only beat ourselves.
"I can still become world champion with my own power and so I'll continue to fight," he said.
Some think Vettel loses his head or is too aggressive in the heat of a world championship fight, but the 30-year-old insists that is not the case.
"My driving style has given me four world titles and 52 victories," Vettel said.
"Everyone is afraid to fail, and I'm as aware as anyone that sometimes when you risk, it goes wrong. But you can't let it paralyse you.
"Ayrton Senna said that if you don't go for a gap anymore, you're not a racing driver, and I agree. The same applies to risky strategies as we saw in Singapore. I will always defend my team," he insisted.
Vettel told Auto Bild: "If we win every race from now on, we are safe. That must be the goal from now on."
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Admirable spirit by Vettel. As American baseball legend, Yogi Berra, said: It ain't over till it's over!
He could hardly say anything else when he's receiving two million Euros a race but I agree that is the mentality a driver absolutely must have. I like Vettel, generally speaking. I'm not keen on his sometimes recklessness but he does know how to win and he seems a decent guy and is one of the fastest on the grid but he simply Must start to win consistently whilst he has the better car. If he doesn't and Mercedes regain parity it will get into his head and he will think "If I can't beat Lewis with a car that a little better almost everywhere How can I beat him with level machinery". Hope his Ferrari campaign isn't summed up in two short letter 'IF".
For the sake of the sport I hope Ferrari get a grip and that he can find his form or 2018 will be over by Japan. And in the immortal words of an even bigger legend, certainly to Formula 1; Murray Walker, “IF… is a very long word in Formula 1… In fact IF is F1 spelt backwards!”- Murray Walker
I have been Seb's fan since his Red Bull's days and if recaptures that great spirit that led him to world titles he can certainly achieve another one this year with a little bit of help from 'above', and yes he might just be granted a miracle so I shall be praying from the bottom of my heart. Ferrari must prance again!
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