Vettel misses out on Baku victory after costly lock-up but says he "had to try" to overtake Bottas; Hamilton now in championship lead
Tuesday 11 December 2018 14:37, UK
Sebastian Vettel insists he has no regrets over the failed overtake which eventually cost him victory at the Azerbaijan GP, claiming he "had to try" to take the lead off Valtteri Bottas.
The Ferrari driver dominated the race from pole before a late Safety Car put Bottas, who hadn't stopped, in front - and Vettel didn't wait long after the restart to attempt to regain control, immediately darting down the inside of the Mercedes into Turn One.
However, a huge lock-up meant Vettel missed the corner and fell behind Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, while he also flat-spotted his tyres and subsequently lost another place to Sergio Perez in the Force India.
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But asked if he regretted the move by Sky F1's Rachel Brookes, Vettel insisted: "No. I'm happy that I tried, I'm not happy it didn't work. But I have to try."
As it turned out, Vettel would have been best-placed biding his time behind the Mercedes as Bottas suffered a race-ending puncture one lap later.
That retirement opened the door to team-mate Hamilton to take an unlikely victory, and the Englishman now holds a four-point lead over Vettel in the championship standings.
"I don't think it was overly optimistic to jump down the inside," Vettel, who finished fourth, explained. "I was a bit trapped because I couldn't see where I was relative to Turn One and once I jumped down the inside I locked up.
"I wasn't overly late because otherwise I don't make the corner at all but I did make it, just. I think I lost places because also the lock-up decelerated the car as much as it could.
"Other than that I think it was a strong race and that's how it goes sometimes."
How a chaotic end to the Azerbaijan GP unfolded
Lap 41: Ricciardo and Verstappen collide. The Safety Car is deployed, triggering pit stops for Bottas, Vettel and Hamilton for ultrasofts with Bottas in the lead.
Lap 44: Romain Grosjean crashes out behind the Safety Car after weaving to warm up his tyres.
Lap 47: The race resumes with Bottas in the lead. Vettel locks up at Turn One trying to overtake Bottas and loses three places in the process.
Lap 48: Hamilton takes the lead after Bottas suffers a puncture running over the debris on the main straight
Lap 51: Hamilton crosses the line for victory ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Force India's Sergio Perez.
