Sebastian Vettel says it was a “real relief” to finally cross the line to realise his dream of winning a race for Ferrari, after admitting he was “s***ing” himself toward the end of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Vettel is the first to win a race for Ferrari since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, and the first German since Michael Schumacher back in 2006.
“I shouldn’t say it, but I was s***ing myself in the last few laps because here and there the thought was coming into my head, I was looking at the top of the chassis, and thinking ‘this is a red car, you’re about to win!’.
“Then I thought ‘stop thinking about it otherwise you’ll miss the next apex or something’. Real relief to cross the line in the end,” said Vettel.
He overcame the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton to win the race in sensational style and says the victory is all the more special because of his 2014 struggles and his decision to switch to Ferrari.
“A phenomenal day. How does it feel? It feels incredible, to see the guys when I looked down from the podium. I can only recall the victories Fernando [Alonso] had at Ferrari and especially Michael [Schumacher].
“It’s incredible to become part of this team, it’s something special. It makes me very happy obviously. It’s the first win in more than a year now. I missed not only the champagne but the top step in particular. It’s great to come back after a tough season last year where I just didn’t get on top of the car.”
