Vettel hails 'miraculous' Turkish finish

Thursday 15th May 2008

After a string of retirements Sebastian Vettel has hailed his first finish of the season which he achieved in Turkey on Sunday.

The Toro Rosso driver's 2008 campaign began with four successive retirements, three of which came on the opening lap the grands prix. However, in Turkey he finally managed to finish a race, albeit in last place.

"The start of the season was definitely one that I wasn't dreaming of," he told the official F1 website.

"But on the other hand it was something that was out of our hands - one time we had a technical failure and the other three times there was a collision on the first lap.

"So I started the Turkish race with the knowledge that if I do two laps it's already an increase of 100 percent - and finishing the race was close to a miracle!"

Now having finished a grand prix the German is looking forward to bagging his first points of the season and will be given a welcome boost when Toro Rosso races the new STR3.

Asked when the car, which was meant to be raced in Turkey, will be seen in a grand prix he said: "We keep on postponing but I am pretty convinced that we will be running it in Monaco."

And although he expects a few difficulties launching during the season, Vettel is hoping that the STR3, which the team is testing at the Paul Ricard circuit this week, will prove to be reliable from the go-ahead

He added: "It is difficult and far from being an ideal situation. But we made the decision at the beginning of the season to start with the old car and I still think it was a good decision, even though we have not been able to show it, as many of our races have been quite short.

"We now have to get the STR3 going almost mid-season. The data we have gained from that one day in Barcelona before my team-mate (Sebastien Bourdais) crashed it have shown that it looks quite reliable straight away.

"So the Paul Ricard test will be crucial as we will not only prepare for Monaco but also for Montreal, as the track there can be modified to simulate both circuits."

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