F1 News
Vettel admits Ferrari were "not good enough" in the first half of 2019
Sebastian Vettel says that Ferrari struggled during the first half of the 2019 season, a spell that Vettel says cost them a chance to fight for the title. The Italian team returned to good form following the summer break, winning three straight races, but struggled for the rest of the season.
Mercedes had 19 podiums to Ferrari's 11 before the summer break, but Ferrari came back the better team, showing us what could have been as Mercedes wrapped up a sixth consecutive constructors' title.
Ferrari may have had a chance at the title if they began the season in their post summer break form, but we will never really know.
Vettel told motorsport.com: “We spent a lot of time in the first half of the year looking for where we were failing. We looked for specific causes, where the car was not good enough. We have tried a lot.
"Here and there I think we could have focused better on the performance of that day, on the other hand it is part of the process. It is never about big things, but with the way I drove I felt a few times that I should not have made certain mistakes. Regarding my approach, there are things that I can do better."