Vettel happy with 3rd place, but cannot challenge Mercedes - MotorSportsTalk

Sebastian Vettel has claimed Red Bull’s first points of the season at today’s Malaysian Grand Prix after finishing in third place behind the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

The German driver did begin the race in second place, but dropped down to fourth at the start after making a bad getaway before getting third place back from Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

“The start was not so good,” Vettel conceded on the podium after the race. “I was surprised when I saw Nico on my right. I thought I had a good start, but yeah I focused on getting in the tow of Lewis to try and get him into the first corner, then Nico was there on the right and it was quite tight.

“Daniel was coming as well as I was trying to pass Nico, so I lost a place. Fortunately I got it back.”

Vettel then spent the rest of the race behind Rosberg, and despite getting close to the Mercedes after the second round of pit stops, the defending world champion admitted that his compatriot was simply too quick.

“Later on obviously I was trying to get as close as I could to Nico,” he explained. “At some stage it looks like we are pretty similar, pretty evenly matched, but then it’s like he found another gear, he was pulling away and in the end I was just trying to bring the car home.”

Red Bull’s weekend was soured when Ricciardo was forced to retire after a problem on his front-left tire during a pit stop, having been sitting comfortably in fourth place. The Australian driver lost a lap whilst he was stuck in the pits, and then suffered a front wing failure that eventually forced him to retire. Nevertheless, Vettel is pleased with how the team is doing, but he acknowledged Mercedes’ advantage.

“All in all, it’s good to get another podium after Daniel has been on the podium in Australia. There’s still a long way, these guys are bloody quick, congratulations to them, they did a good job – trying to catch up!”

After a disastrous winter that appeared to write off Red Bull’s title hopes, the team has responded brilliantly and has returned to form after just two races of the 2014 season. However, the pressure will now be on for the team to cut the gap to Mercedes and begin to forge ahead in the hunt for a fifth straight title.

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FORT WORTH, Texas – Defending series champion Will Power’s name is off the board of potential IndyCar free agents, but there’s still much to be settled in the field – starting with the reigning Indy 500 winner.

Marcus Ericsson is waiting on a contract offer to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing beyond the 2023 season (his fourth with the team). The Swede said he’s made it clear to car owner Chip Ganassi that he wants to stay in the No. 8 Dallara-Honda, which has four victories since June 2021.

“Yeah, it’s up to him, basically,” Ericsson said Friday at Texas Motor Speedway. “He needs to give me an offer for ’24 onward. The ball is in his corner. I really enjoy it at Ganassi, and we’ve done a lot of great things together and would love to continue, but the ball is in his corner. He knows very well what I want.”

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Two days before Ericsson won the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg season opener March 5, Ganassi sang the praises of the emerging star driver to a small group of reporters.

“I want him here beyond this year,” Ganassi said of Ericsson. “He seems to have gotten more out of winning the Indy 500 than anyone else has of recent time, which is a good thing. He did a good job. He’s been everywhere. It’s been a really positive thing for Marcus, the team, the series. He’s grown with that as well.”

Ericsson didn’t sew up his current deal until late in his breakthrough 2021 season (after a memorable victory in the inaugural Music City Grand Prix). So he isn’t necessarily anxious about it but conceded he “was thinking a bit about it over the winner in the offseason and talking about it

“But now that the season has started, I told my managers and everyone I want to focus on the driving. They focus on those things. Now the season is on, and I want to try to win races, win another 500 and championship. That’s where my focus is. (A new contract) is one of those things that happens when it happens. But I’m happy where I am, and I want to do well.”

IndyCar’s two best teams, Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, tend to be very tight-lipped about their drivers’ contract status.

Power confirmed Friday to journalist Bruce Martin that his new deal was for multiple seasons. That means all three of Penske’s drivers are in multiple-year contracts (unlike Power’s deal, Scott McLaughlin’s extension was announced by the team last year).

But there is more uncertainty at Ganassi’s four cars aside from Ericsson. While Scott Dixon has a ride for as long as he wants (and the six-time champion has given no indication of retiring), Ganassi’s other two other seats have yet to be solidified beyond 2023.

The No. 11 is being split this year by rookie Marcus Armstrong and veteran Takuma Sato this season. In the No. 10, Alex Palou is believed to be in his final year at Ganassi before heading to Arrow McLaren.

That expected move would cast doubt on the future of Felix Rosenqvist, who returned to Arrow McLaren when the team was unable to bring in Palou (who was embroiled in a contract dispute with Ganassi).

Aside from Penske, virtually every other IndyCar team (including Andretti Autosport, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Meyer Shank Racing, which has Helio Castroneves in a contract year) has seats that potentially could open for next season, and even drivers who appear to be under contract for next year still could be on the move (via buyouts and option years).

Though Juncos Hollinger Racing announced a “long-term, multiyear contract partnership” last July with Callum Ilott, but the second-year driver was cagey Friday when asked about how long the extension ran.

“It’s for whatever I want it to be,” said Ilott, who finished a career-best fifth at St. Petersburg. “I’ll say that.”

Before returning to JHR, Ilott turned enough heads as a rookie to draw interest from several teams, and he indicated Friday that he still would be listening.

“I’d love to talk to some other big teams,” Ilott said. “Nothing stops me from talking. Look, you’ve got to be fair. I agreed to (the deal), but it’s pretty obvious that I’m quite interested as people are interested in me as a driver, but I need to focus on the job I’ve got here.

“I’m confident whether it’s in one year, two years, three years, four years, that if I’m wanted now, I’ll always be wanted. I’m a good enough driver that I don’t need to lack confidence in that side. … I’m not worried.”