Sky F1 pundit and former world champion Rosberg unimpressed with Vettel error; Brundle says Leclerc will be Ferrari main man
Monday 1 April 2019 16:53, UK
Sebastian Vettel has accepted the blame for the spin which cost him a podium finish in the Bahrain GP.
The Ferrari driver, running in second place, spun when battling Lewis Hamilton.
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Although the Mercedes was in close proximity when Vettel spun, there was no contact between the two cars.
A downbeat Vettel reflected: "It was difficult. We all struggled at various points in the race but l really struggled at the start of the race. Overall, there was not the pace l wanted. And on top, I had the mistake with the spin. Not a good evening."
He said on team radio: "Sorry guys, my mistake. I got surprised and lost the rear. Really sorry."
A perplexed Hamilton commented: "I'm not sure what happened to Seb. I assume he got on the gas too early."
Compounding a disastrous moment for the four-time world champion, Vettel's front-wing then flew off moments after his spin, necessitating an emergency pit-stop. The German finished the race in fifth.
Summing up his mood, Vettel continued: "I am happy for the team but it was a disappointing race - starting at the front and not finishing [there] is not what we wanted."
Why is Vettel always in a spin?
Vettel suffered multiple spins during a troubled 2018 campaign - a point not lost on former world champion Nico Rosberg when he reflected on Vettel's latest costly incident.
Reviewing Vettel's spin, Rosberg told Sky F1: "Vettel is continuing what he was doing last year, messing it up again, spinning around again in a battle.
"It's unbelievable that it keeps on happening to him.
"I can't believe it. We've seen exactly the same Sebastian Vettel as we saw all through the end of last year. He needs to find a way out of that."
Asked specifically whether Vettel had 'cracked under the pressure', Rosberg replied: "That seems to be the case."
Sky F1's Martin Brundle added: "Vettel is not as good wheel-to-wheel as he needs be. Leclerc's been faster through this weekend, but the championship is over 21 races and Vettel should have the stamina.
"There will be moments on rainy days or challenging days when Vettel's experience might just pay off but it won't be long until Leclerc is the main man there."
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