Scuderia Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel insists that he is still not thinking of his chances of winning a fifth world championship in 2017, his first with the Maranello team, despite holding a healthy lead over main rival Lewis Hamilton.
Sebastian is currently 25 points in front of the Mercedes driver ahead of the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix, as a result of winning three of the opening six rounds of the Formula One championship, most recently scoring Scuderia Ferrari’s first victory at Monaco since back in 2001, when Michael Schumacher won for the Italian team. That gap is now the same as one race victory and has prompted Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda to say the team needs Sebastian Vettel to retire “at least once” in the remaining 14 races to have any shot at the title. However, commenting on his title lead, Sebastian Vettel explained: “It is a long way so I’m not really bothered about that. It was more the fact to stand up [on the podium] and see the team. I think obviously, it’s a small part that we have at the track but thinking of everyone else back in Maranello in the factory. We got a lot of hard times last year and this year everything seems to be upside down – but the team is the same, the people are the same so it’s really clear to them.”
Seb is helping spearhead Ferrari’s remarkable turnaround following a winless 2016 Formula 1 campaign. After several years without a title-contending car, Vettel says he and Ferrari are just enjoying the moment of being out in front and being able to once again challenge for victories: “I guess in these small moments you just realize that it’s a special group of people. If things go well, we’ll work hand in hand, we must make sure we keep the momentum up in the next couple of races – but I think we’re just having a great time. Obviously, we wanted to have the one-two and we got it. So for the team obviously it means a lot. It’s been a long time – you know the numbers better than I do – since Ferrari won [in Monaco] and then to get a one-two is just fantastic. I think you can see when the guys are singing the Italian anthem. I think it’s impossible not to get goosebumps and feel very special standing up there representing them. For me, I think that’s what makes racing so special.” – the Scuderia Ferrari German driver concluded.
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