Sebastian Vettel has said that he is happy to have finally overcome a tough second half of 2017 with a win at this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.
Prior to the summer break, Vettel held a 14 point advantage in the Drivers' Championship over Lewis Hamilton. A series of difficult race weekends which saw him fail to finish in Singapore and Japan however, caused him to drop back and out of contention for a fifth championship, with Hamilton sealing the title at the Mexican Grand Prix.
A win at Interlagos saw Vettel stand on the top step of the podium for the first time since the Hungarian Grand Prix back in July, beating Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas to the win by 2.7s.
"Initially I had a very good getaway and then I had some wheelspin so I thought ‘I’ve missed my chance’, but then Valtteri was struggling even more so I really had a chance to squeeze down the inside, I think I surprised him a bit, which obviously is very crucial," said Vettel post-race, reflecting on his fifth win of the season.
"I think after that we were pushing after the safety car for the remaining 65 laps flat out, I was trying to give everything to pull a little bit of a gap, to control the race from there.
"So, I’m really happy, especially for all the guys and the team back in Maranello, they’re working so hard. It’s been a tough couple of weeks for us but it’s nice to get it today and have both cars up here.
"I think for now it’s been a great relief, it’s been a very tough day, tough race," he added.
"I just spoke with Valtteri I think the pace was all…we were all more or less the same, it was very difficult, no room for mistakes, really difficult to control the tyres for the whole race. So, I think it will take a while then I’m sure we’ll have a drink here and see what’s coming."
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