Sebastian Vettel insists he is “still optimistic” over his title prospects despite losing further ground to Lewis Hamilton at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Vettel dominated Friday’s second practice session but suffered a problem towards the end of Saturday’s third session, forcing Ferrari to change parts of his power unit prior to qualifying.
Vettel was able to take to the circuit but suffered a problem which ‘prevented the compressor from feeding air to the engine properly’, and he was unable to record a time.
Vettel recovered to finish fourth in the race and slipped to a 34-point deficit against Hamilton with just five rounds remaining this season.
Nonetheless, Vettel cut an upbeat figure over his chances of wrestling the title away from Hamilton, citing the pace displayed by Ferrari in recent races.
“I am still optimistic, because we know that we have a quick car,” said Vettel.
“We tried to fight for the podium, pushed very hard, but in the end the tyres were starting to give up and we couldn't be really there.
“However, it is promising to see the car is good, even if both Kimi [Räikkönen] and I hit trouble this weekend.
“It's been a difficult weekend, but nevertheless the speed is there.
“So far we've had a pretty good record for this year regarding reliability. I am not that worried to be honest, but we need to get on top of the problem.”
Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene praised his Ferrari squad in its reaction to the setbacks.
“The team remained focused on its job throughout, putting in a great deal of effort working in the garage and then implementing an impeccable strategy,” he said.
“It's further cause to continue to believe in ourselves: we have the car, the men, the drivers, the means and the spirit to fight all the way to the finish.”
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