Sebastian Vettel visited the Ferrari factory on Tuesday following his retirement from the Russian Grand Prix.
The four-times world champion, who retired from Sunday’s race at Sochi after ignoring an order to let team mate Charles Leclerc overtake him, met with team principal Mattia Binotto at the team’s factory in Maranello. A short statement from Ferrari described the meeting as “positive and constructive”.Vettel also took the opportunity to test with the Tony Kart team at the Lonato circuit, 140km away from his team’s base, on Monday.
“I was coming here anyway, it’s a shame I only make it so rarely but hopefully I can make it a bit more often,” he said in an interview for the team’s YouTube channel.
“I would like to do more but obviously time, we have a lot of races as well but let’s see, maybe I need better organisation and come back to watch.”
Vettel, who won the European karting championship in 2001, drove a fixed-gear and shifter kart in a series of stints on the track, and swapped notes with the team’s highly experienced multiple karting champion Marco Ardigo.
“I think the biggest difference is the line, the way to deal with the brakes, to use the engine to brake the car, to stop the car. Obviously in the K class you use a lot more the speed, in this regard it’s a different driving style. But I think at some point it starts to come naturally.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2019 F1 season
- Crying in the Melbourne car park at 2019 grand prix was my career low – Ocon
- McLaren Racing reports reduced £71 million loss in 2019
- Kvyat: Hockenheim podium last year was “my biggest achievement” so far
- How the FIA’s new encrypted fuel flow meter targets Ferrari’s suspected ‘aliasing’ trick
- “He smashed my office door”: 23 must-see moments from ‘Drive to Survive’ season two
Bruno Verrari
1st October 2019, 20:57
What a nice guy Seb is!!!
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
1st October 2019, 21:24
Binotto told Seb, “You either follow team orders or you win, in which case, all is forgiven for not following team orders.”
Skinner
1st October 2019, 21:50
Solid gold!
Zafka (@jjlehto)
2nd October 2019, 11:51
+1
erikje
1st October 2019, 22:23
And seb told him: give me a car that functions till the end and a tactic that does not help Mercedes and i will win for you.
JT
2nd October 2019, 0:12
Yup, Seb is once again asking to be gifted a win.
RB13
2nd October 2019, 10:32
He’s had a championship capable car since 2017, Ferrari don’t need to give him anything else.
Thunder Sky
2nd October 2019, 11:40
Except that he didn’t.
Lums (@lums)
2nd October 2019, 14:29
Yes he did
Chaitanya
2nd October 2019, 17:19
1st half of both 2017 and 2018 Ferrari had the best car on grid it was through either driver error or strategic blunders both years title was lost.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
1st October 2019, 23:20
I clicked on the video to watch the clip; after vettel ignored team orders to let leclerc past, after benefitting from a draft in the pre-arranged agreement vettel broke with his team; and very much enjoyed it.
Mobius Clean (@mobiusclean)
2nd October 2019, 5:17
That picture above.
Is that Vettel’s new ride for next season?
Jimmi Cynic (@jimmi-cynic)
2nd October 2019, 6:10
;-) Starting the caption competition early, @mobiusclean?
Mobius Clean (@mobiusclean)
2nd October 2019, 8:01
It was just hanging there waiting for someone to say it,@jimmi-cynic :)
Maisch (@maisch)
2nd October 2019, 9:02
Still faster than the Williams 2020 car :)
RP (@slotopen)
2nd October 2019, 23:03
An more reliable than the Ferrari
Frank James
2nd October 2019, 11:04
Seb is a really nice guy.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
2nd October 2019, 11:14
Vettel would benefit a lot from some karting. So he gets his racecraft a polish.
In his championship winning season Nico Rosberg did loads of karting just to keep his skills fresh. It made a small difference.
Dean Stewart
2nd October 2019, 14:13
Did he spin it? 🤣😳
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
2nd October 2019, 17:40
I cannot wait for the next race. Traditionally Vettel is fast.
There is also a new tradition of Leclerc being even faster than Vettel.
Team is thick with drama, they are also slightly faster than Mercedes sometimes. Not sure how to react when Wolff will cry Ferrari again?