Sebastian Vettel Charged up for the Belgium Grand Prix
One of the fastest young drivers on the F1 circuit, Sebastian Vettel is all set to take the number one spot on the driver standings once the season restarts at Belgium this weekend.
Vettel has finished on Pole more times than anyone this season during qualifying, but on race days some misfortunes and few mistakes have cost him the race multiple times. The latest of that happened in the last race before the break in Hungary, where he had finished top in qualifying but once again could not hold on to the lead on race day. His team mate Mark Webber ended up winning the race and got himself to the top of leader board. In 12 races so far this season, Vettel finished at pole in 7 races’ qualifying while he won just once. However, he has said that all of that is behind him now and he is fresh and coming with a new frame of mind to launch an attack for the world title.
It is surprising to note that even though the German has been by far the fastest driver this season, he hasn’t been on the top of driver standings. Currently, he is 10 points adrift of his team mate Webber who is on top of the pile after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The SPA track offers longer straights than Red Bull may want, and is expected not to be an ideal one for the team. Regardless of that, Vettel believes he has a great chance of winning in Belgium and claiming the top spot this season for the first time. He said that SPA circuit is one of his favorites and all the talk about it not being favorable to Red Bull is nonsense. He said that same was said about the street circuit in Monte Carlo but Red Bull did very well there, so there is no reason to make assumptions even before the start of the race. He said that Spa has some of the best corners that are quite fast and tricky. That really does suit him and his car. He added that he would relish the chance of taking on his rivals on a circuit like this and is confident of his success.
Vettel said that long straights have never been the strength of his car, so yes they may be tricky but there are also enough sharp corners for him to utilize. Sebastian Vettel added that the break was a welcome one, but he did not take it as a time to relax on the beaches and party. On the contrary, he had been working extremely hard on his fitness and getting himself physically and mentally ready for the battle that lies up ahead. Vettel further stated that his car has been one of the fastest this season and even though others have caught up to a degree, but the break has given his team time to work on the upgrades. He said that Ferrari would have a tough time keeping up with the Red Bulls.
The Red Bull driver reflected back on the start of the season, and said that at that time the rival teams had no idea how to match up with Red Bulls. He and Webber had the edge with quickest cars on the circuit but Ferrari has caught up well and now it’s a matter of strategy in the last stage of the season. He said that pace alone can never win you a world title, so proper planning would be the name of the game in last 7 races of the season.
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