No more Mr Angry

Vettel happy again after extending lead with Monaco win

MONACO: Sebastian Vettel (pic) stood out last season for his furious rants more than his slick driving. Six races into the new campaign, the Ferrari driver is no longer Formula One’s Mr Angry, moving 25 points clear of Lewis Hamilton and in serious contention for a fifth title.

The title race took a further swing Ferrari’s way after Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, with Vettel winning ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton finished seventh and behind his Mercedes team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, who was fourth.

Ferrari did not even win a race last year, but the Italian manufacturer has turned the tables on Mercedes. Faster and – so far – more reliable, with a calm and confident Vettel behind the wheel, the Prancing Horse is galloping away.

Vettel’s third win this season was the 45th of his career and Ferrari’s first here since Michael Schumacher in 2001. That was during Ferrari’s dominant era. Early suggestions are that Ferrari could be on the verge of a new one.

“It’s very, very special to win here,” Vettel said. “With the season we’ve had, the Ferrari fans and the Ferrari flags are increasing.”

It was a much different story last year, when Vettel was swearing and cursing on team radio, aiming expletives and broadsides at other drivers and even F1 officials.

“We had a lot of hard times last year, but this year it seems to be (the other way around),” Vettel said. “We must make sure we keep the momentum up in the next couple of races.”

Vettel has been all smiles and compliments this year, emotionally praising his team in Italian after Sunday’s win.

Daniel Ricciardo, Vettel’s team-mate during a dismal season at Red Bull in 2014, finished third to make it an even worse day for Mercedes.

“We’ve just been missing pace,” Bottas said. “Ferrari were very strong this weekend and for whatever reason, their car seems easier to operate.” Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was fifth, ahead of Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr.

Raikkonen started from pole position for the first time in nine years, with Vettel joining him on the front row.

“I got the bad end of the story today,” Raikkonen said. “It’s still second place but it doesn’t count a lot in my books at least.”

Vettel sympathised.

“We get along well and I can understand Kimi’s not totally happy today,” he said.

Whatever the strategy was, Ferrari will not mind after securing maximum points.

“Something we’ve been waiting for a long time has finally come to pass, a race which will be part of our history,” Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne said. “Not only a victory, but a onetwo finish at a Grand Prix with a tradition as glorious as Monaco, where Ferrari last won with another one-two, delivered on that occasion by Schumacher and (Rubens) Barrichello. Today it was a really exciting race.”