Q & A with Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel: Yeah - or three letters: RET!

Q. And unfortunately on the official results sheet for the season so far you are the only name missing...

SV: Yeah, I am not there. It is pretty smart!

Q. Does it worry you?

SV: It is part of the game. We had four races this year, in one we had a technical failure and in the other three I had a collision on the first lap. So, that is it. You cannot write a book about it so far.

Q. Do you take some consolation from the fact that you have been out of the race through no fault of your own?

SV: Usually I don't believe so much in luck in that sense. People call it a racing incident, but I don't know what to call it. It happens, but the thing is why should we be frustrated or why should we have doubts about our motivation. There is nothing we can change about it - we have to look ahead, keep our heads high and try the best we can here which is the next race on Sunday.

Q. Do you change your approach for the first lap? Is there anything different you can do?

SV: No. To be honest, I also think it would be wrong to change anything. Obviously you have to give 100 percent and when you start to think: 'Okay now I have to be extremely conservative and I have to survive', or 'Don't crash, don't crash, don't crash', then you crash! The more thoughts you have in your head, the worse it is in my point of view.

There was once a Finnish rally driver, I forgot his name, from a long time ago - I was not even born then. A famous quote from him was: 'Heavy foot, empty brain'.

Q. When did you learn for definite that you would not get the new car here?

SV: After Barcelona. We were still hoping, but we saw that we would not make it.

Q. Was it disappointing?

SV: Well, of course yes. The plan was to bring the car here. We didn't make it, but now we have two cars in the garage from last year, so we have to do the best we can. It would be a waste of time to make excuses, and say we have not got the new car. We have to try the best we can with the stuff we have in the garage.

Q. Are you in favour of introducing it in Monaco then, because it is such a unique circuit?

SV: On the one hand, Monaco is maybe a strange circuit to introduce a new car. But on the other hand, the earlier you can start working with the new car the better it is. Especially under race conditions.

Q. Have you got everything you can out of this car now?

SV: Yes. It wasn't the plan. It was not even the plan to bring it here originally, as everyone knows. It is not great, but now the stuff is packed in the garage and is here. Do we have a choice? Either we go with the old car or we are spectators.

Q. Can you understand why it takes so long to get the new car ready?

SV: Obviously I think I know a bit more than you know, which is why I think I can understand.

Q. You raced here last year with your current car. Does that give you an advantage this weekend?

SV: I don't think so. I know the circuit, and maybe that is the only advantage we can get. The car, I think we did quite some steps during last season, especially towards the end of last season and over the winter. You have a totally new approach in setting the car up without traction control and without engine braking, so obviously you remember the circuit and you remember the braking points and so on, but apart from that I don't think I will have an advantage running the same car here as last year.

Q. What do you think about the rumours you may be moving to Red Bull Racing next year?

SV: I don't know. A couple of weeks ago I was already in some other door, so I don't know. There are always rumours, but right now we have other things to worry about. First of all we have to get on this (results) list. Then we talk...