“If you look around the grandstands most of the fans are dressed in red.
“Ferrari has a very strong fan base for a reason: they have a lot of
tradition in Formula
One, they’ve been around longer and won, and they’ve been more
successful than any other team.
“There are more and more people dressed in blue, so we are doing a good
job on that front.
“But obviously they (the Ferrari fans) are quite emotional when they are
not winning, and if somebody else is winning they don’t really like it.
“But as long as they keep booing, it shows we are doing a very good job.
That’s the way I see it.
“But the parade lap was quite nice, also the lap after the chequered flag
there were a lot of people cheering.
“Obviously I didn’t give them the most exciting race, but on days like
this I really don’t mind.”
Team principal Christian Horner, however, was far less forgiving, in
particular as he felt Vettel had conjured one of the best performances of
his career.
“To see a driver, who has put in a performance like that and to not get
the reception he deserves, is not sporting,” said Horner.
“He says it doesn’t affect him, that he doesn’t feel it, and he does have
a broad set of shoulders.
“But he is a human being at the end of the day, and like anyone he has
feelings.
“When you’ve driven your heart out and you are getting that reaction, to
me it’s not fair and not right.
“It’s a shame and I hope it will change at the forthcoming races.”
Kimi Raikkonen, driving with a bad back, was third in his Lotus, but is 98
points behind Vettel, while Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in his Mercedes
and is 96 points adrift.
Paul Di Resta was on course for points, only to put his Force India into a
barrier seven laps from home due to what is understood to have been a
mechanical issue, while McLaren’s Jenson Button was seventh.
(Edited by Ben Bloom)