Q&A with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel 08 Jul 2012
The predictions were that Silverstone would show the real pecking order for 2012. So that means Red Bull lead the way from Ferrari and Lotus. Does that make Sebastian Vettel a strong bet for the title, despite being beaten by team mate Mark Webber on Sunday? Too soon to tell, says the German…
Q: Sebastian, how much of a relief was it that team mate Mark won the race and not Fernando Alonso - in regards to the championship?
Sebastian Vettel: There was not one moment when I was thinking about that. If I was not told over and over again by the media I wouldn’t even know how many points each of us has. (laughs) Right now it has no significance at all. What is important is that at the end of the season we are right up there - and everything else is rather secondary. We managed it twice so far - and we are aware how much it takes to get there. Sometimes it is the little steps that count. Sure, winning is the aim and clearly it didn’t work out at Silverstone, as I was losing too much at the beginning to be in a position to catch up. In the end it was quite tight with Fernando - a bit of a shame, but I think not only me but also the whole team leaves Silverstone with a good feeling. P1 and P3 for the team - that is sensational, thinking how many hiccups this weekend has had.
Q: At the start you lost a bit - and also lost some parts of the car. Did that influence your race in any way?
SV: Difficult to say, given the fact that for most of the weekend we didn’t have a chance to drive in the dry and the only time was on Saturday morning when we all ran with substantially less fuel. The start was somewhat rocky. I wanted to close the door on the inside for Kimi (Raikkonen) and obviously Felipe (Massa) was preparing to swallow Michael (Schumacher) on the following straight, so I got a bit too close and damaged the front wing a bit. But if that really mattered, I wouldn’t be able to tell. At least it didn’t feel wrong in the race.
Q: Would a few more laps have meant a different result?
SV: Probably, as I was catching up the lighter I got. But that is pure speculation and I am pretty happy with P3.
Q: Saturday’s weather forecast spoke of a 90 percent chance of rain…
SV: Yes, that was all rubbish. True, anything can happen at Silverstone, but the best way to make predictions is simply to look into the sky. (laughs)
Q: From what you’ve seen this weekend, what is your judgment on the RB8 right now?
SV: We had a good car right from the beginning - a car that at least brought us into the top five at every race. And we have seen how fast it can happen that instead of P1 you end in P5, so we have to be satisfied. I would even go so far as to say that we have one of the most consistent cars as we’ve only had one retirement. So yes, I would say that the package is good - and for sure good enough to attack at the next races.
Q: How much are you really looking at the championship?
SV: Sure, it is somewhere in the back of my mind, but I am not counting all the time - I leave that to others. I want to attack at every race - and, of course, win every race - because that brings the most points. But in the end it is important to finish in the points, as there are still many races to go and in the end every point counts.
Q: Are you aware that Silverstone was your first podium since Bahrain?
SV: Probably. I don’t count so much. Sure, I would be happier had I won, but nevertheless it was a great result for the team.
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