Vettel: Ferrari's 2019 season not as bad as it looks

Ferrari finished over 200 points behind eventual champion Mercedes, but Sebastian Vettel said the team's year was not as bad as it looked.

Published : Dec 02, 2019 00:39 IST

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel finished fifth in the drivers' championship behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel finished fifth in the drivers' championship behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
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Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel finished fifth in the drivers' championship behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

Sebastian Vettel does not believe Ferrari's 2019 season was as bad as its massive gap to Mercedes made it look. The Scuderia were widely expected to mount a serious challenge to the continued dominance of the Silver Arrows this season.

However, Charles Leclerc and Vettel finished fourth and fifth in the drivers' championship, again won by Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes won the constructors' championship by 235 points from Ferrari, which was victorious in only three races as Hamilton prevailed in 11 and Bottas took the chequered flag in four.

Four-time world champion Vettel crossed the line fifth in the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi, which was won comfortably by Hamilton from pole. Vettel - whose sole triumph came in Singapore - told reporters: "We didn't have the year we were hoping for full stop. The reasons are clear, the lessons are clear and it's up to us to take them on board.

"As a team we must perform stronger, and as a individual I can do better it wasn't a great year from my side. I don't think it was as bad it looks as there were many small things.... but I know that I can do better and that's for sure the target for next year and hopefully we get a stronger package to fight at the front with Mercedes and Red Bull."

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