A thrilled Sebastian Vettel has praised Scuderia Ferrari for his victory in the 2018 British Grand Prix, claiming the win at Silverstone was an important one given their struggles there in previous years.
“Every race is a team race, but today it was even more important for us to win here, because the last few years had been very difficult to us,” said Vettel. “This year we have proved to be strong every time on every track so far.
“The most important thing is that the car is strong and fast. The new updates that we brought here have worked very well through the whole weekend.”
Vettel had started the race from second but snatched the lead from Lewis Hamilton with a faultless start. He was only briefly headed by Valtteri Bottas following his second pit-stop under the safety car and made a sensational overtake to regain the lead with just a handful of laps to go.
“In qualifying we were just a little bit slower,” said Vettel. “But during the race it was just great. Today during the first stint I probably pushed too much on the Soft tyres, but during the second one I had everything under control.
“The Safety Car made everything more exciting, but even more tricky. However, the strategy with the tyres was great and at the end we got a fantastic win as a team.
“I really enjoyed this race and I am happy for me and for the team. Also, the start was very important for us and it was great. Now it’s important to keep working. I say thanks to the whole team for this win!”
Vettel’s victory sees him extend his championship lead to eight points over Lewis Hamilton, who trailed Vettel at Silverstone courtesy of a first lap incident with Vettel’s team-mate Kimi Räikkönen.
