Vettel - No doubts

Young German says confidence remained high after poor start

Last updated: 12th June 2008

sebastian vettel toro rosso 8/8/2008

Vettel: focus

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Sebastian Vettel has said that he never doubted his ability to score points, despite the Toro Rosso driver's dismal start to the season.

The young German struggled in the opening races of this year's World Championship, wracking up four retirements and a 17th-place finish in Turkey before finally scoring points with fifth place at the Monaco Grand Prix.

That race saw Vettel bag four points and he added another to his tally by holding off McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen to claim eighth place in the Canadian Grand Prix.

Asked whether his confidence had been dented after his poor start, Vettel told the official F1 website: "Never!

"The first four races, when we had those first-lap incidents, was something completely out of my reach - so why rack my brains over it. I simply focused on the next race.

"The first real chance for me was Monaco and I took it with both hands. And in Montreal I scored one point, although the last 10 laps didn't make my life easy as the cars I had behind were quite strong.

"That's all that matters."

Future

Vettel also spoke of the long-term future of Toro Rosso, which is currently unclear after Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz put his 50 percent stake in the team up for sale.

However, the 20-year-old insists the team's future is looking bright, saying: "I know a little bit of the internal situation so I am very confident."

As for his own long-term future, Vettel - who has already been linked with a move to Ferrari - says his wish is to eventually race for one of F1's big-name teams.

He added: "Of course my target one day is to race for one of the big teams because I am not here to just participate, to enjoy the life and see different countries - I am here to race."