Formula 1 - Sebastian Vettel’s performance advantage in Canada

Such was Sebastian Vettel’s performance advantage in Canada on Sunday that even a rare lapse of concentration from the reigning champion couldn’t prevent him taking a crushing victory for Red Bull - his and the team’s first at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve…

Q: Sebastian, your hex with the Montreal track is finally over…
Sebastian Vettel: I wouldn’t call it a hex. We had great races here in the past - it just wasn’t enough for the win. Today it was. I am very happy because it’s a great race.

Q: But isn’t it nice to add another track to your CV?
SV: For sure it is, but I haven’t been desperate to win here and tick it off the list. If I am happy then it’s because we’ve delivered a great race in front of a fantastic audience - and even the sun came out today, something that wasn’t to be expected after the last few days.

Q: Compared to some races this season it looked like an easy cruise to the chequered flag. Or were there some glitches we didn’t see from the outside?
SV: Ha, I did at one point take the ‘straight line’. That was clearly not one of my finest moments, but I had gained so much lead that I could easily stay in the lead. I am not proud about that mistake. I was too fast - a bit too greedy - lost the car and went straight, as I thought that if I try to make it around the corner I might spin and that I definitely wanted to avoid. Thank God there was no wall. (laughs) Other than that little glitch everything went just perfectly. The start was super and it was important to try to move away from the others as fast as I could. My goal in the first stint was to get away as fast as I could, as you never know what you are running into - and I was so right. In some phases we were a full pit stop ahead. The car felt fantastic and I was enjoying every kilometre of the race. There was a lot of traffic and I really tried to stay out of all those overtaking issues as I saw that Mark (Webber) had damaged his front wing in one of his manoeuvres.

Q: Were you surprised that you were so fast? Everybody expected Ferrari to be strong…
SV: They have been strong. I don’t know what happened to Lewis (Hamilton) who was in second place for much of the race, but in the end Fernando (Alonso) came through and finished in P2.

Q: Is it more to your liking to be at the front all by yourself with a huge gap to the guys behind - or would some action have spiced up your afternoon?
SV: This race was nothing to complain about: the car felt great, the pit stops worked smoothly and it is a real pleasure to see that you have more speed than all the others. The win and the trophy - that was deserved after such a perfect performance.

Q: The next stop will be Silverstone. How would you say this will suit you?
SV: That is difficult to say. We have seen an up-and-down season so far. This here was a good race weekend for us - not just because of the win, but also because of the numbers. In terms of tyre wear we have been average, which hasn’t always been the case, so we’ve learned a bit more in the last couple of days. But Silverstone is a totally different proposition: the track layout is completely different, the tarmac is different and the tyres that we will use are different, so nothing to compare with here. But of course I am very much looking forward to it, as it is something of a home Grand Prix as Milton Keynes is just a stone’s throw away and the guys in the factory have the chance to see their ‘product’ live and running