Ferrari ‘missing the secret’ to unlock 2019 F1 tyres - Vettel

Sebastian Vettel has pinpointed Formula 1’s new-for-2019 tyre compounds as the key area he believes Ferrari is losing out to Mercedes in.

Ferrari has struggled to get Pirelli’s thinner tread 2019 tyres into the optimum operating window so far this season, something which was highlighted as Mercedes locked-out the front-row in Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying amid falling track temperatures.

The struggles continued during the early stages of the race as Vettel was unable to keep tabs with the frontrunning Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton on his way to finishing third behind the Mercedes duo.

“I think we have the tools, we just need to put the package together,” Vettel explained. “That seems to be the struggle. I think we struggle with the tyres a bit more than previous years.

“I think the secret so far this year on average has been the tyres, and we’re missing something.”

Vettel admitted he lacked confidence and felt “uncomfortable and inconsistent” during the opening stint due to his tyre-related issues, before recovering in the second stint on Medium tyres as he closed the gap to the leaders.

“The first stint was really poor,” he said. “I initially struggled to get the tyres to work. I think they were too cold and I damaged them and then when they were hot they were damaged, so it was never really working.

“I was really uncomfortable and inconsistent. I just couldn’t get a feel and confidence for the car, so that’s usually not so good around here.

“After that, I was surprised because I was expecting a difficult stint on the Medium tyres but I had no problems switching them on and I had no problems. I was much happier and much more confident and I think we had some pace to at least go with them and put a bit of pressure on.

“We had to keep an eye on Max behind as he was getting a bit close but in the end we had enough pace on the Medium tyre to keep him behind. It was crucial to keep that third.”

With Ferrari now trailing Mercedes by a massive 74 points in the constructors’ championship, Vettel says it is crucial the Scuderia starts to turn things around.

“There’s still plenty of work for us to do and we are not where we want to be,” Vettel said. “I think at this point we just need to maximise what we can.

“The last four races on average we were not quite there, so I think we are not the favourites going to Barcelona but the team is in good spirits and we have more stuff coming on the cars.

“We need to chase them down and are looking forward to a smooth weekend. The first four weekends haven’t been that smooth but it will be crucial for us to catch them and turn things around.”

Asked what he feels Ferrari can do to halt Mercedes’ current domination, Vettel replied: “Just line everything up.

“I don’t think our car is slow, I think Mercedes is very fast. But it seems easier for them to click and to happen, whereas for us it’s a bit more difficult.”

Additional reporting by Julianne Cerasoli.