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Barcelona (dpa) - Sebastian Vettel's conclusion was sobering.
"It's about what we can achieve at the moment," said the Hessian after his 13th place in the Spanish Grand Prix.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion had actually switched to Aston Martin in order to finally attack as far ahead as possible in 2021.
The reality is completely different: four races, not a single world championship point.
What remains for him is hope: “We are currently struggling to take a step forward.
But we still have a few races. "
However, there is hardly anything that indicates a quick recovery.
Just like with Mick Schumacher.
Although the hardworking newcomer indicates his potential, he has no chance against the competition in the inferior racing car from Haas.
After a strong start in Barcelona, he was unable to maintain his position and was penultimate.
Only team-mate Nikita Masepin defeated the 22-year-old in the Grand Prix.
"Our car is simply no longer possible," said Haas team boss Günther Steiner, adding: "You can't be happy."
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And so the German Formula 1 presence this year is pretty dreary again. While the thrilling world championship duel between world champion Lewis Hamilton (35) in the Mercedes and 13-year-old Max Verstappen in the Red Bull causes a spectacle at the top, Vettel (33) and Schumacher (22) do not play leading roles and are also seen by the television cameras accordingly caught less often. The German fans will not get to see their stars live this year either, a German Grand Prix is not planned in the calendar with 23 stations.
"I'm going to Monaco now quite openly and we'll see how it goes there," said Schumacher. In the racing classic, the weaknesses of his car should again be relentlessly exposed, and Vettel will have another complicated task waiting in just under two weeks. “In the end, it's not what Sebastian Vettel expects. You actually have to look towards the top ten, but there is still a big gap, ”said Sky expert Timo Glock.
In September 2019, Vettel last won a race in Singapore, his last of a total of six seasons at Ferrari was even worse last year.
He has now been waiting for World Cup points since November 2020.
It is particularly tight in midfield this season, the top with the Silver Arrows and Red Bull seem to have come a long way.
"There is still a lot for us to learn," said the 53-time Grand Prix winner Vettel.
The team chemistry at the English car manufacturer was still right, everyone would pull together to be successful, he said.
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Meanwhile, Hamilton is racing towards his historic eighth title. After three wins from four races, the Briton is currently 14 points ahead of the Dutchman, Verstappen. He made it clear in Barcelona that the Dominator is far from full. Ideally, he would like to extend his contract with Mercedes before the summer break. "Our relationship is getting stronger every year," said Hamilton, who is close to the next milestone. He is only missing two successes, then he became the first Formula 1 driver to achieve 100 race victories.
For Mick Schumacher, son of record world champion Michael, the main thing is to gain experience and bring his car to the finish line as often as possible in its debut year.
Vettel also helps him with this.
"Knowing that you always have someone who can give you advice that helps me not only here, but also in my private life, is very important to me," said Schumacher most recently on RTL.
Vettel added: “It's called friendship.
That is our relationship to one another.
You don't need to invent another word. "
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210510-99-537956 / 2
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