Vettel: It is no burden to race for Ferrari

Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel are far off the pace in Formula One this season, but the four-time champion is thrilled to represent the team.

Sebastian Vettel sits fourth in the Formula One standings, but is 100 points adrift of leader Lewis Hamilton heading into his home grand prix in Germany.

Sebastian Vettel insists it is no burden to race for Ferrari, though acknowledged the team are still missing "the final step" to be able to compete with Mercedes.

Vettel sits fourth in the Formula One standings, but is 100 points adrift of leader Lewis Hamilton heading into his home grand prix in Germany.

Four-time F1 champion Vettel crashed out of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in the last race having collided with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

The German's hopes of a fifth crown look all but over, though he believes Ferrari are on the right track to success.

"It doesn't feel like a burden it feels like a privilege to go out and race for Ferrari," Vettel told a news conference.

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"Obviously my mission and my goal and the team's goal is to get back to winning ways. If we do that then we have a much better chance to fight for the championship.

"I think things are progressing in the right direction in the bigger picture but the big picture doesn't interest you if you are not where you would like to be.

"We all know Formula One is a world where people are short-sighted which is also fair and part of the game but overall if things look good we are still missing that final step which is the most important step."

Vettel took full responsibility for the clash with Verstappen at Silverstone and he added nobody is a bigger critic than himself.

"I always put myself under pressure so I can't be happy if things go wrong," Vettel said. "I think the main thing is that we keep progressing in the right way. The pressure I put on myself after that is bigger than any external factors.

"This has been the same for as long as I can remember. I think the best and honest and straightforward way to deal with it myself as I know what I've done wrong and what I have done right, I know when I had the opportunity to do well, I think you are always your best judge no matter what you do."