Sebastian Vettel supports Ferrari decision not to impose team orders

Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari were right not to order Kimi Raikkonen aside at the end of the Austrian GP.

Although Vettel regained the lead of the world championship with third place at the Red Bull Ring, his one-point advantage over nearest title rival Lewis Hamilton would have been greater still had Raikkonen surrendered second place to aid his cause.

F1 2018 Drivers’ Championship standings – top six

But Vettel is adamant Ferrari were correct not to impose team orders on the Finn.

“No, why?” Vettel responded when the possibility was put to him post-race following Max Verstappen’s win. “Max won the race because he deserved it and he didn’t make any mistakes – so that’s a strong performance from him. And Kimi did everything he could.

“I was trying to hunt both of them down. Kimi was pushing as hard as he could and l was pushing as hard as l could. Both of us were closing but it wasn’t enough.”

1:18 Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel is up into third after overtaking Lewis Hamilton, a potentially crucial pass in this championship battle.

But while Vettel was content with Ferrari’s approach on a day that radically evolved from damage limitation to taking the lead of both world championships, the four-time world champion admitted he was still greedy for more.

Referencing his controversial pre-race grid drop for impending Renault’s Carlos Sainz during qualifying, Vettel added to Sky F1: “I got most of it right but today could have also been a bit better without the plus three from the start.

“I am happy with the podium but equally there was a bit more for us.”

Courtesy of the top-10 finishes for Haas and Sauber, all of the Ferrari-powered teams finished in the points on Sunday – an accomplishment not lost on Ferrari chief Maurizio Arrivabene.

“We have six Ferrari engines in the top 10 and this is very good news,” Arrivabene told Sky F1. “Silverstone is going to be a tough race for us so we need to stay concentrated and keep pushing.”

It’s summer, it’s Silverstone and it’s the 2018 British Grand Prix! Don’t miss a minute of Sky F1’s extensive coverage – featuring 2009 world champion Jenson Button – from Thursday’s F1 Show to Sunday’s race, which begins at 2.10pm with build-up from 12.30pm. Get Sky Sports F1.

Also See:

• Mercedes suffer double disaster
• Max wins in Austria, Lewis retires
• Find out more about Sky F1
• Verstappen dreams of title glory

Sourse: skysports.com