Sebastian Vettel is not past his prime, and that showed in Istanbul Park. Searing through the wet track and using all his experience, he secured a much-needed podium finish.

But then dealing with criticism in various forms has never been easy for any F1 driver. However, the manner in which they channel that into delivering results matters.

Vettel recently spoke in an interview about how he feels about criticism in general, and whether those words and narratives necessarily get to him as he enters a crucial phase of his career.

Sebastian Vettel believes he is very critical of himself

The 33-year-old was quoted as saying, “Of course, it’s nice when people write nice about you or tell great things, and less nice when they do the opposite.

“But my guiding principle has always been: you are never as good as people say, but you are never as bad either.” (translated from Google Translate)

Expectations are something that will be very high when he eventually moves to Aston Martin F1 for 2021.

“No, I’m a completely normal person. I feel very critical of myself.

“Above all, when things don’t go well, I first look at what I could have done better before pointing my finger at others. My expectations of me are usually higher than the expectations from outside.” (translated from Google Translate)

The relationship with Ferrari is a little “frozen”, says Vettel

It is fair to say that Vettel has not enjoyed too many dominant races this year, often finishing outside the points. But the Eifel GP race at Nurburgring really left a mark on him, considering how he finished P11 and even spun on a couple of occasions.

“We don’t have to look far back, we can go to the Nürburgring; the race wasn’t a great achievement and that annoyed me extremely. This year is difficult for me. I also feel self-doubt because, let’s just say it, I haven’t come across a green branch yet.

“The situation is not the easiest either: the relationship between the team and me, which is a little frozen – yes, it is no longer the great love affair. Nevertheless, my own expectations are still very high,” stated Vettel (translated from Google Translate)

Vettel now has 3 races to go before he can bring the curtains on his time with Ferrari down. And as always, Seb will focus on getting the job done and finishing on a high with the team.