Ferrari has been an icon of the sport that is Formula 1, for a very, very long time now. And as Sebastian Vettel would know by now, the expectations of furthering the reputation of the brand are absolutely massive.

Vettel has spent six years at Ferrari, with the latter seasons not quite fruitful from his and the team’s perspective. The Ferrari fanbase has frequently voiced its discontent over the team’s performances as well.

But, the 33-year-old refuses to hold the pressure from the Ferrari fans as an excuse for coming up short in races. Instead, he believes much of the expectations to do well, has come from within instead of external pressure.

Pressure from tifosi not ‘holding me back’, says Sebastian Vettel

Speaking in the pre-race press conference, Vettel stated, “Rest assured, when I stuffed the car in the gravel in Germany, that I wasn’t happy before the tifosi weren’t happy. I think it sounds nice, and it adds a little bit of drama to everything.”

“But I’m definitely not holding that as an excuse for, you know, coming short here and there. I think if you are ambitious to win and you have the target to win and to succeed, then you’re the first one to realize that yourself. And it isn’t depending on the pressure from outside.”

Different F1 drivers over the years have admitted to feeling the pressure from a team’s fanbase. Vettel doesn’t feel so as he strives to win regardless of the heavy expectations of people.

2020 Abu Dhabi GP will be Vettel’s last race with Ferrari

“But having said that, everybody’s different so maybe in Fernando’s time, it was different and maybe he felt it in a different way. But for me, that wasn’t, let’s say it wasn’t the one thing holding us or holding me back,” concluded Vettel.

This season’s Abu Dhabi GP race will mark Vettel’s end of a six-year stint with the Italian giants. Although he would have liked to win the Drivers’ title at least once with them, it was ultimately not to be the case.

Vettel has provided Ferrari’s tifosi with moments of joy, in the form of 14 race victories over five seasons. Although a race win might be unrealistic this time around, he will look to sign off with the best possible display at the Yas Marina Circuit.