Finally, some light at the end of the tunnel for Sebastian Vettel. The German’s performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix was his best one this season.
Sure, this is only the third race of the calendar year, it was nonetheless an excellent performance from the 4-times world champion.
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He crossed the checkered flag in P6 and added 8 points to the solitary one he earned in the season opener in Austria.
Vettel drove a much better race than his teammate Charles Leclerc, who failed to rack up any points at P11. One of the reasons behind Charles’ poor performance was the team’s tire strategy for the Monegasque.
However, Vettel ensured that Ferrari didn’t bungle up his race.
Sebastian Vettel demands the medium tires instead of the soft tires Ferrari wanted on his SF1000
The German was heard disagreeing with his team’s choice of tires over the radio. On hearing that he was supposed to head to the pits to get the soft compound tires on, Vettel said, “Box for medium, don’t you think? It has stopped raining.”
After saying this, he got his way as his race engineer told him to box for mediums instead.
It was a great call from the 4-time world champion, one which helped save his race. Were he to box for the softs, it could have ended in disaster.
Luckily for Vettel, he had the experience of 244 F1 entries to call to his aid. It just goes to show you that Formula One isn’t just about who has got the quickest car. Drivers also need to think about tire strategy and more.
As for Ferrari, the next week off gives them a chance to assess their weaknesses and possibly find some solutions. They are already burdened with a lot of pressure to live up to past expectations.
Can they turn their season around at Silverstone? Will Vettel get a podium this season? Will Mattia Binotto be sacked? All will be revealed soon.