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By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
Sebastian Vettel finally achieved – however it arrived about having a healthy dose of luck and a major chunk of controversy.
The Ferrari driver win was at the Grand Prix on 26 September 2018; and because then his driving has been more notable for its regular errors than the rate and elegance that marked his four world titles.
Vettel’s standing as Ferrari number one has been threatened – if not usurped – along with also the German has faced questions about his future.
Sticking to Singapore, in which he has had success before, provided an opportunity for salvation and catharsis. He made it, but not perhaps.
Vettel was requested if the win has been a relief.
“Yes in a sense,” he explained. “Maybe it shouts in a bit after but yeah, perhaps just a confirmation that in the event that you keep doing what you do…
“[There are] moments where you realize things are wrong and you will need to make adjustments but lately I did not feel that any big changes are necessary. In that respect, it’s a confirmation but it’s similar to’I can breathe ‘. It is not like I sensed at a wrong and awful place. I knew that I must pull and go through itself.”
As for answering his critics, he explained:”Maybe less gratifying than you might imagine. It wasn’t like we were lacking anything or pace. I think there was nothing incorrect in general. Things weren’t maybe.
“I’ve been around now for a long, long time and yeah, it’s just how the wave turns sometimes. I have the highest expectation on myself and I’m happy when I am not providing what I know I could.
“Surely I’d moments this season when I was struggling to just get it out. So, I understand I can improve out there, and that I can not be pleased with that. But both I know that it was not too poor or devastating as possibly then folks put it together”
It remains to be seen whether this victory will do anything to stem the wave Vettel is confronting in the challenge of Leclerc at Ferrari, for while he drove well to seize victory once the chance to do so was supplied to himin many ways the’wrong’ Ferrari won in Marina Bay on Sunday.
It had been Leclerc who chose a pole that is brilliant, using an acrobatic and extrovert lap where he danced to grab top spot who fell behind Lewis Hamilton and who was ahead after the initial runs in qualifying.
And it was Leclerc who led from the start and who must have been in a position to control the race to get a track on which overtaking is near hopeless among matched cars.
However, Ferrari admitted to grabbing themselves out the’undercut’,” when a car quitting first gains from the pace supplied by tyres to get a place.
Ferrari’s idea in pitting Vettel would be to hopefully get him before Hamilton – and in exactly the identical time to guarantee the German will emerge in clear air in a gap ahead of Nico Hulkenberg’s Renault, that had been moving quickly on new tyres following an early incident, and behind Lance Stroll’s Racing Point.
Leclerc a lap later stopped, anticipating him to emerge in the lead, just to watch Vettel ahead.
“The undercut was more powerful than anticipated,” said team manager Mattia Binotto. “We were not expecting such a major number. We thought Charles quitting the lap after would come out ahead of Sebastian.”
The’undercut’ purchased Vettel 3.5 moments when normally it would be more like one to 2.
At the vehicle, Leclerc was furious, repeatedly asking what had happened and expressing his skepticism. And as he calmed down following the racehe was making it crystal very clear that he wanted a full explanation was not pleased.
Because a one-three turned into into a one-two ferrari’s strategy was successful. However, the controversy here is that it is convention in F1 for the direct car in a group. As Leclerc place it:”You never undercut one automobile with the other in the identical team; this happens.”
Binotto admitted that they had considered swapping the two cars back – though those discussions were not shared with all the drivers.
“I know Charles is disappointed,” he said. “He did his very best to win the race and then he might have won the race. We did believe to swap. We’re still discussing with the motorists whether it was the perfect choice or not.”
Those talks would, he made it clear, continue into this week, and it remains to be seen the way it affects the clear and unavoidable tension between the drivers – the proud, ageing champion and the guy who appears on the signs of the year to be emerging simply quicker.
Leclerc’s pole was the very first time in a row he has Vettel that is out-qualified, and to do it on a track on which Vettel has excelled in the past will have hurt.
In most that context, then, success tasted sweet. He pushed as hard as he had out his lap, and then picked his way through the cars in front of him well – and better than Leclerc – because he had to consolidate his place.
But he will know that it was to a large degree handed to him – albeit accidentally – even if he wasn’t exactly keen to share it.
How could he feel when the positions were reversed, he has been asked?
“Not that much point giving that much thought since it wasn’t the way,” Vettel said. “The group is larger than myself, bigger than any individual, and we finished one-two. For Charles personally and me personally the order is crucial. That is precisely exactly why we are still here, to fight for successes. However, for the group the order is not important.”
At some pointhe said:”You’re extremely misled if you think you are bigger than this group.” Was that a remark directed in Leclerc?
A couple of hours Leclerc, after the rush played with the team game and had calmed down.
“At the car it was very bothersome,” he said. “Now I understand a lot more the situation. I’m pleased for Seb and very happy for the team , also. He deserves it. I wish I was one step greater but it is part of existence. At times it goes way and I could bounce back stronger in Russia.”
It was a sobering night under the lights. Starting second and fifth, they finished fourth and fifth, and also in their day this was a lengthy way for a group normally so slick.
Team manager Toto Wolff said that strategist James Vowles had admitted to making a mistake in not pitting Hamilton about exactly the same lap as Vettel. When Leclerc stopped another time Mercedes’ only choice was to go as long as possible and attempt to have a tyre advantage at the close of the race.
However, Hamilton’s tyres did not continue long enough to keep him out so long as they desired, in letting them take the strain off their tyres and the series of security cars in the next half of the race played to the hands of Ferrari.
“I got called in too late,” Hamilton said,”and it’s obviously frustrating because I was all over Leclerc and easily fast enough to win and the perfect decisions were not made.
“In the early hours, I said:’We ought to undercut, even if I really come out in traffic.’ They’re like,’No, we shouldn’t do this.’ And I said,’Just take the risk if I’m close enough.
“I had been right together within another and said:’Undercut, undercut.’ And it simply didn’t occur and it had been too late then. But should we eff up, now we lose and win as a team we do it all together. It is not a fantastic day however now we live to fight another day.”
He was not just dropped by the choice to maintain Hamilton out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but also resulted in a scenario that was tough that was second.
Four laps stopped and was flying together, and was soon at risk of not just taking Red Bull’s Alexander Albon along with him, but also passing Hamilton.
So Vowles came to the radio and told Bottas to slow down a lap to ensure Hamilton came out an illustration of Mercedes of making sure the direct driver’s strategy advantage following the seminar plays out in a way Ferrari did not.
Was this a powerful explosion of the notion that the two Mercedes drivers are competing for the name, Wolff has been asked?
“No, it is not a wonderful call we left there,” he explained. “The undercut was stronger than everyone expected. I really don’t think with allowing Sebastian pit 15, Ferrari wanted to swap their motorists.
“We risked Lewis’s standing by keeping him out to protect the triumph and that is the reason why we held Valtteri back to keep Albon behind since Lewis would have come out behind Albon. So complete the team outcome would have been worse by not doing this. But we owe him that place.”
Ferrari’s one-two came really much contrary to expectations, and for them to be so strong on a course where they were expected to struggle according to their performances so far on circuits that are similar suggests on the surface of it they will be strong everywhere for the rest of the season.
A major aerodynamic update was introduced by ferrari and it worked. But Binotto reported that on its “cannot explain what we have seen”.
Mercedes’ hunch is that the success of Ferrari was founded on setting their car up for pace over a lap – with a darty – and race speed that is forfeited. Leclerc moments on his pole lap – where he lost the car double – suggest they might be proper.
“This is not about updates; it is about doing the best out of your bundle,” Wolff said. “They have an incredibly powerful engine that’s an important ingredient that lets you more strategic choices on setup but that is no excuse.
“We had a bundle effective at pole but we made errors, a lot of chances lost and we all are very conscious of it.”
Nevertheless, Ferrari have won three races in a row, and also their resurgence stipulates the possibility of a competitive and unpredictable end to the season in terms of individual races.
But it is a danger to Hamilton from the championship – his lead is 65 points over Bottas, also Leclerc is 96 behind, with just 156 still available.
“Lewis is really robust and you are not losing sleep with his advantage,” Wolff said,”but I will tell you we’re all angry and also we all had a get-together including all the engineers and drivers and there is a general feeling of people got it so wrong this weekend. But this does not indicate it will have a long-term effect on people.
“The disposition most of us feel and all felt coming together is aggravation we lost too many chances and there is no one in the group which hasn’t got that feeling”
That is far from significance Mercedes don’t have their concerns, although that sixth name isn’t far off.

Read more here: http://www.coffhampton.com/2019/09/25/francesco-molinari-reflects-on-massive-win-at-wentworth-2/