JULY 24, 2015

Vettel hails Ferrari miracle, denies crisis

Sebastian Vettel has hailed as "a miracle" the progress made in 2015 by Ferrari.

Sebastian Vettel has hailed as a miracle the progress made in 2015 by Ferrari.

While some agree the fabled Italian team has enjoyed a surge in form this year, others think Ferrari has been flattered by the competitive collapse of traditional rivals like Red Bull and McLaren.

"What we have done so far is a miracle," the German, who said he has spoken at length with teammate Kimi Raikkonen about the problems of 2014, is quoted by La Repubblica.

After the victory drought of 2014 and departure of many team figures including Fernando Alonso, newcomer Vettel won almost immediately in Malaysia but since then has failed to deliver the same sort of podium-topping success.

Vettel insisted: "But I think we have been able to be very consistent, standing many times on the podium. It is clear that it is not easy given how strong Mercedes is.

"We need to be a little patient," he said.

Ferrari suffered what Vettel described as a "dip" last time out at Silverstone, when not only Mercedes but also Williams were superior in Britain.

But he says he is confident Ferrari is still on the right track.

"You have to consider that a lot of the growth takes place behind the scenes," said Vettel, "which cannot be seen from the outside or is immediately translated into progress on the car.

"It is a project that is going all the time, it's very promising and it gives me confidence for the future. Within the team we are all happy and proud of what we have achieved.

"Compared to all the other teams, I think that Ferrari has made a big step forward and I don't know why it's so hard to appreciate that (from the outside)."

As for the 'dip' at Silverstone, Vettel is quoted by Italy's Autosprint: "I see no signs of a crisis, and the podium at Silverstone was because we made the right decisions, and also this is a credit to us."

(GMM)