Canadian GP: Vettel 'should've been smarter' in Alonso battle
Sebastian Vettel reckons he "should've been smarter" in his Canadian Grand Prix battle with Fernando Alonso, having stormed from 18th to fifth in the Montreal Formula 1 race

Ferrari driver Vettel ended up on row nine of the grid following qualifying engine problems and a penalty for passing Roberto Merhi after a red flag in final practice.
One of the closest calls in Vettel's charge through the field came when he caught Alonso's McLaren for the second time following an out-of-sequence pitstop.
As they battled for 15th, Alonso's defence left Vettel scrabbling over the kerbs at the final chicane.
"With hindsight I should've been a bit smarter," said Vettel.
"Obviously Fernando was not giving one inch. He defended very well.
"It was close, I touched him with my front right wheel but fortunately nothing happened.
"Second time round I was a bit more clever and just benefited from a better exit because I gave him the dirty line under braking.
"So I had a better radius and more speed on the way out."
Alonso went backwards for much of the race before retiring when running 16th. He said fending off Vettel - albeit briefly - was the only highlight of his day.
"We were so slow compared to them so I tried to defend as much as I could," he said.
"It was one lap and a half but I really enjoyed it. He probably didn't but for me it was the best part."
"I was a lot quicker and I didn't really stress too much to prepare the overtaking," said Vettel.
"I was clearly ahead. Then I saw him opening the brakes into the first part of the chicane.
"And that's where I reacted and jumped the second part because if I'd stayed on the track we would just crash."
Although Hulkenberg expressed frustration with Vettel over team radio at the time, he was sanguine after the race.
"In hindsight I shouldn't have tried to defend so hard as I couldn't keep him behind the entire race," he said.
"But when you're a racer you don't just give up your position."
Vettel added that he was satisfied with the outcome of his race given his messy Saturday, but admitted there was room for improvement.
"I would've loved to have had a better opening lap, but there were just no gaps to dive into so I had to sort of wait and start to overtake cars over that," he said.
"We had a great car in the race and the pace just kept coming. As soon as we were in free air we could really progress."

Canadian GP: Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari F1 team's pace hidden
Canadian GP: McLaren F1's Fernando Alonso felt he looked 'amateur'

Latest news
NASCAR bans Chastain Martinsville wall-ride manoeuvre
NASCAR has decided to ban the wall-ride manoeuvre made famous by Ross Chastain at Martinsville that secured him a place in the Championship 4.
Gasly: Mindset for Alpine is "completely different" to Red Bull F1 move
Pierre Gasly says he has a "completely different" mindset for his Alpine Formula 1 move thanks to lessons taken from his failed stint at Red Bull in 2019.
GTD Pro win a “proper send-off” for retiring IMSA stalwart MacNeil
Winning the GTD Pro class at the Daytona 24 Hours was a fitting way for Cooper MacNeil to retire from racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, says team-mate Jules Gounon.
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? LUKE SMITH asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.