Vettel disputes claims Ferrari had 'dominant' car

Brussels, Nov 2: Sebastian Vettel does not agree with claims Ferrari had the "dominant" car in Formula One this year.

Scuderia star Vettel fell short in the drivers' championship as Lewis Hamilton secured a second consecutive title, with the Briton among those to suggest he and Mercedes overcame a faster car.

But the German four-time champion insists Ferrari were by no means ahead of the rest of the grid in 2018, referencing his battling win at the Belgian Grand Prix as an example.

"That is where I maybe have a different opinion to the rest," Vettel told Autosport of the Ferrari car.

"It is absolutely true to say we have a very strong car, but people's perception that we had a dominant car - I don't think it was true. If you look at the results, I don't see it. Where was the dominance?

"In Spa, we didn't have the pole, whatever the conditions. We got [the win] because of the way Spa is designed, with Eau Rouge being flat.

"Last year, we had a lack of horsepower and that's why the overtaking didn't work. This year we didn't have that, so I was able to keep the benefit from the tow and I was able to pass [Hamilton].

"But then, as a matter of fact, Lewis was always one, two, three seconds behind. He had the same pace. We were driving to the same tenth and, at some point, he gave up.

"That is why we won with an eight-second gap. For me, it's not a dominant race. It was a very close fight."