Vettel: Fernando was fastest because he had the best equipment
27 July, 2012
Sebastian Vettel and race winner Fernando Alonso on the German GP podium
Jul.27 (GMM) Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel insists that Ferrari has the best car on the 2012 Formula One grid, and ‘laughed’ at Fernando Alonso and claims that he is leading the world championship despite not having the best car.
In an interview with journalists from O Estado de S.Paulo (Brazil), Corriere della Sera (Italy) and Auto Hebdo (France), referring to last weekend’s German grand prix, Vettel said: “Fernando was the fastest because he had the best equipment. At the moment, Ferrari is the best. So what I need to do is to be the most consistent.
“They [Ferrari] had a difficult start to the year, but we can see now where they are. They are the most consistent in all conditions: rain, dry, change of grip from the circuit, cold, hot…
“Ferrari has the best package at the moment; they’re fast and reliable. At Hockenheim they kept us and McLaren behind. This is a fact, not my interpretation,” the German insisted.
Vettel denied that part of Alonso’s advantage is that his teammate, Felipe Massa, is entirely subservient, rather than taking points from one another as do the teammates at Red Bull and McLaren.
“It’s not good for a racing team to have one driver fighting for wins and the other with significantly lower results,” he insisted. “From the outside we cannot understand the reasons that Felipe is not able to show his natural speed, because he is very fast.”
“People forget that if his (Massa’s) engine had not broken here (in Hungary) in 2008, he would have won the title. Now he’s miles away from the top of championship, even though the car is working well.
“I don’t understand that,” added Vettel.
It is on that final point – the driver equality question at Ferrari – that Vettel has some doubt about whether he wants to be with the famous Italian team.
Asked if he would accept being Alonso’s teammate at Ferrari, he answered: “I don’t know. I hear so much about his contract with Ferrari that it makes me think about it. It depends on the situation.”
“I am not afraid of fighting with Fernando at the same team, because that’s good for the team, good for you. It’s much better than having a teammate who is slower,” concluded Vettel.
Subbed by AJN.
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Never said it was luck at all. I proposed that Ferrari/Alonso have been consistently strong. And yes, they have benefited from a bit of good fortune, including failed alternators, a few bad moves from those behind them, avoidance of accidents, etc… as I stated, it is all part of the game. To attribute all success to the driver alone, is overly simplistic, as this year is showing. Hamilton proves in living color what happens when a good driver in a decent car is shorted by team failures and bad fortunes that can befall anyone. Ferrari have done well (including Alonso) in maximizing what has not always been a perfect situation – while others have not done as well, including those who might have had greater potential. Thus the formula is alive and well. No grounds for insult here, it’s just a conversation.
If Alonso and Hamilton are such miraculous drivers, who only need 4 wheels to win races – why has it been 4 years since Hamilton won his only championship – followed by 4ths and 5ths since, and 6 years for Alonso with inconsistent finishes down to 9th since his last in the pretty spectacular Renault in 2006? They were both beat by the lowly Button in a re-branded Honda in 2009, followed then by Vettel the inferior, finishing 2nd and winning two WDC’s in that same span of time, from a lowly 8th at STR (just 3 spots down from Alonso that year) – now still in the hunt as a strong contender, after a pretty ugly first 10 events? Seems to me he can drive just fine.
@Disgusted with 2012:
Right, so it’s not hard work and consistency that put Alonso at the top of the standings, it was luck.
Let me ask you someting: are you mentally retarded?
The idea that Alonso and Lewis can drive anything faster than Vettel or that Massa’s struggles are representative of a bad car Alonso is magically making good, is all romantic farf. Results are founded on a complex formula of a well developed car, setup to suit the track and the driver’s style and comfort, driven expertly by a focused and fit driver operating within a strong race strategy executed by a team who makes no mistakes – plus a touch of luck to sweeten or spoil the stew. Ferrari and Alonso are consistently strong and a little bit lucky, McLaren has not been yet, Red Bull is struggling and have had a few bad days, Lotus is quick but not a complete team yet, Williams, Sauber and Mercedes are unable to pull it all together in any single event or string of events. The results reflect this clearly, within the known formula, without indication of any super-human abilities.
Vettel would get destroyed. Vettel isnt a pure driver. He needs a perfect car for perfect results. Alonso is the EXACT opposite.
The Ferrari is a good car now, very fast judging by Felipe’s ability to get the lap time. Ferrari have a fast car.
But Fernando got the points even when the car was a truck – heck, he even won the Malaysian GP.
Vettel is saying two things here:
1. Alonso has a fast car at his disposal right now – true
2. Alonso wouldn’t be able to win without a fast car – the part that pisses me off.
It is for that 2nd part that I would throw dirt in Vettel’s face for saying what the Red Bull PR machine is telling him.
@Butterfly
The rain is a good equaliser, and qualis are one-lap runs, and judging a car by that single lap is like saying that Mercedes has a great car, and the tyre wear doesn’t matter, or that Lotus has a terrible car because they qualify rather poorly compared to their race pace.
And, as Hawk has said, fastest laps doesn’t make a car faster, or a driver batter if you read the next sentence: Kimi managed a LOT of fastest laps in 2008. Was he the driver of the year?
That said, the RB08 was and is very fast, is the F2012 much batter, or is it better, than the RB08?
@Hawk
Alonso in ’07 if you ask me.
This sucker… should practice, connecting his tongue to his little brain before talking… a very disgraceful sportsman.
@F1 follower
go easy on Vettel. you forget he is 6 years younger. A lot can happen in 6 years of racing most of which is experience => race craft and character building. He has 6 years experience (and Lewis) vs Alonso’s 11 years. If you want to compare them fairly trace Alonso back to 2006 or extrapolate Vettel to 2018 (that is more difficult). For instance, I do not expect him to call people stupid and cucumber (at least in the same season) in a few years time .. or David Letterman… recall what Lewis used to say 2 years ago at Vettel’s age. Dont you think he has also changed? I will not talk about any other drivers because they are not worth talking about ie do not attract the spotlight. maybe MSC but for him it is so long ago and no longer fresh. but Vettel remains quite intelligent because that does not necessary come with age.
@lio
i’m sure you didn’t think that Ferrari were sharks when Shumi was there…isn’t it?? No answer needed, i already know it anyway.
About the abilities and skills of Vettel and Shumi, without a good car under their asses they can’t do much whichever their name is…unless they are called Alonso of course (or Ayrton Senna), who won races and championships with inferior cars, something that not Vettel nor Shumi ever did. And it’s not Vettel thart doesn’t need
Ferrari, but Ferrari that doesn’t need Sebastian “ditino” Vettel
at least for the first time I see someone agrees with me. and fortunately it is a quite intelligent man. I posted earlier this week that there is no evidence to show that Ferrari was not the best car in Germany like all people seem to believe. The way you guys are going is like the F2012 will never be at any point this season the best car. F1 is so dynamic, that car came to months ago. In Hockenheim Alonso’s fastest lap was 66/67; the time exactly when Vettel took on JB ie when the McLaren was at its worst. The McLaren was considered the fastest car in Hockenheim but that proves otherwise. It shows all along that Alonso was controlling the race from the front fearing that what happened to him in silverstone might happen again. But in Silverstone strategy did them in. Even Lewis on fresh tyres easily took the Red Bull but couldnt touch Alonso. the Sauber posted the fastest lap, but was it the best car? I do not think so. And note the best car does not always post the fastest laps. At times it is not necessary especially at the end of the race when the fastest laps are posted.
seb doesn’t need to be in ferrari, he is right with what he said. he has it all in redbull. ferrari are sharks. they have the most money and the most user-friendly people of all. alonso + package = wins. vettel, schumi + driving skill = true champions
Little Seb should stop whining and get his own act together. But oh, ofcourse he can’t ’cause he hasn’t the fastest car now…
The one who should be really questioned about driving skills vs best equipment is Vettel himself. In fact most of his success comes from Adrian Newey’s genius and Redbull’s stellar unfair budgets, no doubt. Vettel is surely a fast driver but he definitely needs to develop his personality and manners, proper of a world champion gentleman (i.e. his intolerable interview at David Letterman Show). At the moment I wouldn’t like to see this kid on a Ferrari.
AlonsoFan:
Vettel can’t even say the Ferrari is fastest in the rain because he, himself, said he could have gotten pole in Germany.
No fastest laps for the F2012.
Yeah its absolutely true Vettel that F2012 is the fastest car this year despite not even setting the fastest lap of the race even once and no one except you crying that its fastest as in 2011 Mclaren,Ferrari,Mercedes and Renault saying RB7 was fastest car of the year.
AlonsoFan:
Yes, Vettel is that kind of driver Felipe and Jenson are – they can get the lap time if the car is easy to drive, unlike Lewis and Fernando who only need four wheels on the car…
understandable coming from a two time world champion who is beaten by his slower team mate these days just because they dont have super downforce as of 2010 and 11 due to EBDs
Well, Sebastian, Felipe can only show his skill when the car is easy to drive which hasn’t been so far, hence Fernando doesn’t have the fastest car.
But I can understand why they (RB) would want to downplay Alonso’s skill.