(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Sebastian Vettel said that it was a "lonely" race in his Ferrari after the Mercedes duo of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton ran away with the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prixon Sunday.
Starting from P3 on the grid, Vettel finished in the same position after an unsuccessful overtake attempt on Hamilton, heading into the first corner of the Yas Marina Circuit.
The German finished 15.431 seconds behind race winner Bottas, who claimed his third win. Nonetheless, Vettel's P3 earned him second in the Drivers' World Championship.
"I had a good start, but then I could not go any faster and then I was pretty lonely. I am glad for Valtteri. Congratulations to Lewis. I hate to admit it but he was the best," said Vettel.
"The car was great in the first two laps. But then I could not really do much. The two in front were just faster. I could not do anything against them," he added.
Vettel said that lessons were learnt during the season and added that they have to work hard to come back stronger next year.
"Overall, we did not win neither the Drivers' nor Constructors' Championship. We cannot be happy with this result but we were simply not quick enough. The package was not good enough. We got a fair beating and we have a lot of work to do. The positive is that we got a lot faster than we were at the start of the season," said the four-time world champion.
"We had good chances and we used the chances like Bahrain. Or win the race in Hungary. We finished a race which could have been a DNF. On the other hand, we did not finish races that were supposed to be for us. This is bitter and this is how it goes. It is a straight fight. They are just a bit better at Mercedes. The positive for us is the way the team has gone and that is what is good in the first place," he added.
MENAFN0312201700490000ID1096181727
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.