Winner at Interlagos, Vettel savors his return to grace, after “some complicated last months”

Unthinkable in July, Sebastian Vettel secures a victory for honor at the Brazilian Grand Prix. After three wins in the first six races, the Ferrari driver had to bide his time and endure numerous frustrations. The biggest one of all? That disastrous Asian tour, with 12 points in three races, losing the title shortly after in Mexico.

So naturally, driver number 5 expressed his happiness once back on the top step. A joy shared with his team: « I’m very happy for the guys in the team, here and in Maranello. It’s been a few tough weeks. So it’s nice to place both cars so high. »

Starting second on the grid, the former Red Bull driver made his decisive move towards the first corner of the first lap. The German reflected on the moment: “I thought I had blown my chance with that wheelspin. But I think Valtteri struggled even more, so I had an opportunity to dive on the inside. He was certainly surprised!”

The rest was not a smooth ride, with Bottas always less than three seconds behind and an aggressive Hamilton coming from the back. Another key point of his race, Vettel highlights the sixth lap, the moment of reactivation: « The restart was crucial. After the safety car, I gave it my all to widen the gap. Then, I controlled. But the race was tough, it was hot, and I didn’t have a single moment to rest. Having spoken with Valtteri in the cool room, the pace left no room for a single mistake! » But the main thing is definitely there: a morale-boosting win before the next season.

Räikkönen was not worried!

Closest to the action, always unflappable. Kimi Räikkönen was still shaken up in his Brazilian finale. The fault lay with a hungry Lewis Hamilton, who came back from starting in last position. But it seems the situation was under control. The 2007 world champion resisted the assault from the king of 2017, after a difficult start seen from within: « The balance of my car was very tricky on my first stint. But the handling improved with the second set. I might have caught the guys in front, but overtaking was impossible. Lewis caught up with me, but I was also close to Sebastian and Valtteri. I wasn’t worried. I had a good last stint, up to the final corner. »

With this third place, Räikkönen earns a shot at fourth place. He is still seven points behind Daniel Ricciardo and the fourth position in the drivers’ standings. On the team front, this fifth victory allows Scuderia Ferrari to match its 2010 total. But back then, the Italian team was contending for the title in the final race in Abu Dhabi…