Heady praise for Vettel's 'mature drive'

Monday 25th August 2008

Sebastian Vettel has received heady praise from his bosses after finishing sixth in Sunday's European Grand Prix.

The Toro Rosso driver has proven to be a revelation this season, often getting more out of the car than what was expected. And he did it again in Valencia on Sunday, finishing sixth in the unfancied STR3.

"I don't think there's much doubt about that," Dr Helmut Marko, the man who heads Red Bull's talent-spotting team, told The Telegraph. "This was definitely his most mature drive. He was under pressure throughout, but didn't make the slightest mistake."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner added: "Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel who drove very well and demonstrated what this chassis is capable of."

However, 21-year-old Vettel downplayed the praise, telling Reuters: "I don't care if it was my best performance or whatever. The important thing is that the team performed to its full potential.

"Everyone says our Ferrari engine gives us an advantage over some teams at the moment - it's strong, certainly, but it would be unfair to give it all the credit."