Sebastian Vettel said he was happy to "serve the team", as he played a crucial role in helping Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc to victory at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Leclerc's win, which is his first in Formula 1 and Ferrari's first this season, almost wan't to be as a charging Lewis Hamilton looked set to steal it in the closing laps, finishing less than a second adrift. However just a handful of laps earlier he had been held up by a slow Vettel, costing him upwards of four seconds.
Whilst Vettel lost out through the poor strategic decisions – having started second and finished fourth – he played a key role in Ferrari's victory.
Belgian GP: Drivers' Standings | Constructors' Standings | Race Result
"I didn’t have the pace. I was struggling to stay on top of the tyres which normally is not a problem at all. So it was a tough race," said the German.
"Obviously from some point onwards, from the first lap onwards, it was clear we won’t be in the fight. So all I could do by then was serve the team.
"I was struggling in the corners so that allowed him [Hamilton] to get close and then I couldn't hold him off for a very long time," explained Vettel.
"I tried to obviously make him lose time in order to give Charles a cushion. In the end there was just enough so I did the job."
Leclerc, who dedicated his first win the Anthoine Hubert, thanked Vettel for his help: "Seb has been very nice and without him I think it would have been a lot more difficult to win this race so thanks to him."
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