Sebastian Vettel has admitted that it feels good to have put a dismal start to his first full
Formula One season behind him, but insists that, despite having a more potent weapon at his disposal, he does not expect to repeat his point-scoring opportunities that often.
The German kicked off the 2008 campaign, in which he became a permanent fixture on the grid with
Scuderia Toro Rosso, with three first lap exits in four races but, since the introduction of the new STR3 chassis, things have looked up, with points at both the Monaco and Canadian grands prix.
"I think it is a very good step forward," Vettel told
ITV-F1 of the new car, whose introduction was delayed by a round after team-mate
Sebastien Bourdais crashed it in testing, "I think the decision to start with the old car was correct, [but] the [STR3] simply has much more downforce and it's working more efficiently, and I think that's the way to go.
"In the beginning, it was pretty bad – when you have four races and you always have first-lap collisions and never see the chequered flag, you can't be happy. But sh*t happens and you just have to focus on the next race, which is what we did. Things seem to be going up since we introduced the new car."
Despite being buoyed by his results in Monaco and Montreal, however, Vettel is aware that the STR3 isn't suddenly going to transform Toro Rosso into a regular point-scorer.
"It's always difficult to catch up, otherwise there would be no reason why
Toyota has been struggling for however many years they have been in
F1," he reasoned, "They have the same budget as the top teams, but they are struggling to have the same pace. So, obviously, it's not only a question of money. In F1, I think it is very, very difficult and there are so many aspects that you have to get right.
