It was another disappointing race for Sebastian Vettel, who has failed to score a single point in the opening two races, and the Portuguese Grand Prix was no different in which he called it a ‘difficult race’.
The German enjoyed an impressive performance in qualifying as he progressed to Q3 for the first time since joining Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team, and the first time in fifteen races.
But he couldn’t repeat that performance into Sunday and ultimately struggled as he dropped out of the top ten and never really looked at getting back in, finishing thirteenth at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
Vettel admits it was a difficult race in Portimao and especially the long stint on the medium set of tyres in the second stage of the Grand Prix, which lasted for forty-three laps.
“That was quite a busy and difficult race with a very long stint on the medium tyres. I do not think we could have done anything different with the strategy, but, overall, we did not have enough pace or consistency to hold onto the group fighting for points.
“On the positive side, I will have some new parts on my car next week, which we feel are a step in the right direction.
“But the real priority is to have a clean Saturday, which is the key to a better Sunday.”
Lance Stroll – “A slightly better qualifying, points could have been possible”
Team-mate Lance Stroll, who had the updated parts in his ARM21, struggled throughout the weekend, which ultimately hampered his race on Sunday. The Canadian was eliminated in Q3 in qualifying and started seventeenth on the grid, who failed to make up the ground and finished one-place behind Vettel.
Despite a disappointing weekend in Portugal, Stroll was rathered pleased with the performance of the car throughout the race and acknowledged Saturday’s performance put him on the back foot.
“It was not our best day, but I think we were a bit stronger in race conditions than we were yesterday. Ultimately, a challenging Saturday meant that we were on the back foot today.
“The car felt better balanced in the race though, and we made up several places in the first half, but we just lacked that little bit more to make it into the points.
“If we had had a slightly better qualifying, points could have been possible.
“However, we will not dwell on today too much, but we will learn what we can and make improvements ahead of next weekend. We will arrive in Barcelona in a stronger position.”