Vettel: Virtual Safety Car cost me podium chance
Sebastian Vettel finished fourth at the US Grand Prix, blaming the sole Virtual Saftey Car as the reason he could not get onto the podium.
Vettel ran a different strategy to his rivals. Having qualified on the super-soft tyre in Q2 he was forced to start on the red-striped compound, but he made it last longer than any of those running in front of him.
As both Mercedes and Verstappen, on the soft compound for the start, pitted around lap 10, Vettel kept his Ferrari out until lap 14 before coming into the pits. This gave him a momentary lead.
His strategy saw him pit for the medium compound, that was to take him to the end of the race, about 15 laps later. Unfortunately for him and a few other drivers – Daniel Ricciardo included – the Virtual Safety Car for Verstappen came out after they had made their second stops, meaning those who were waiting to pit were handed an advantage in their pit stops and the racing speed was neutralised.
“I think we had a good race,” said Vettel in his post-race interviews. “We stayed out longer. Obviously other people in front us of pitted sooner so I think it was a chance for us to try something different.
“Then I think we pitted early to go on the medium tyre to keep track position to Max. Obviously a lap or two later the Virtual Safety Car comes out. That wasn’t ideal. Otherwise I think we could have had a crack at the podium.
“But all in all I think the race was a lot better than qualifying in terms of competitiveness. Obviously a shame we didn’t get both cars to the chequered flag.”
Ferrari has definitely slipped behind Red Bull on pace in the second half of the season, making opportunities for wins even more difficult to achieve than they were before.
They are still in the fight for second in the Constructors’ Championship but with their run of bad luck, it looks like Red Bull will take the position. With Raikkonen failing to finish due to a pit stop error, Ferrari’s damage limitation was reduced when Verstappen stopped on track with an engine issue.
The Scuderia are 53 points behind Red Bull with three races left. With a maximum of 129 points left to be scored, it is possible for Ferrari to get ahead, but it will not be an easy task.