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“My Confidence Level is Quite Low”- Sebastian Vettel Opens Up on F1 British Grand Prix Struggles

Published 08/02/2020, 3:41 PM EDT

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Two Ferrari cars with two contrasting fortunes. While Charles Leclerc managed to clinch an unlikely podium at the British Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel barely managed to score a point.

Vettel’s struggles didn’t begin on Sunday and can be traced all the way back to Friday’s free practice sessions. Intercooler problems, a loose brake pedal, and minimalistic confidence in the car meant that the 4-time World Champion could never get to grips with the SF1000.

I’m struggling: Sebastian Vettel

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To make matters worse, Charles Leclerc qualified to the second row of the grid and even finished the race on the podium. The root of the problem with the German’s car remains clouded with mystery, but Vettel’s current struggles are baffling, to say the least.

Vettel spent the majority of the British Grand Prix stuck behind Esteban Ocon. He made no progress throughout the race, and Pierre Gasly eventually passed him.

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It was clear that Vettel was dejected after the race, and it showed in his post-race team radio. The German remained silent whilst Team Principal Mattia Binotto offered his commiserations.

“That was a very difficult race,” said Vettel as quoted by Ferrari. “Because I couldn’t challenge anyone. Many of those behind me were a bit faster and managed to get past.

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“As I was struggling massively to find grip in this car, even though I tried lots of different things this weekend. I didn’t have the required pace and so my confidence level is quite low at the moment.

“Because I’m struggling to get a feel for the car and every time I try and push, I lose the car. I think we need to have a look at this problem together with the engineers.”

We’re 4 races into the 2020 season and Sebastian Vettel is yet to ‘become one’ with the SF1000. In the same time frame, Leclerc’s managed to clinch two podiums, mostly owing to the misfortune of his fellow drivers, but podiums nonetheless.

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However, Vettel has one more chance to redeem himself at the Silverstone circuit. Should Ferrari resolve Vettel’s issues with the car, the German can bounce back at the 70th anniversary Grand Prix on August 10.

SOURCE- Ferrari.com

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Written by:

Abhishek Bharadwaj

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Abhishek Bharadwaj is an F1 author and content strategist at EssentiallySports. Having joined ES in January 2020, he has over 700 articles to his name. While he was first introduced to the world of F1 in 2006, he started religiously following the sport in 2012 and has had an undying passion for it ever since.
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