Webber coped better with early-season RB8 - Vettel

Sebastian Vettel has admitted his teammate Mark Webber initially had a better handle of Red Bull’s 2012 car.

Ultimately, on the way to collecting his third consecutive drivers’ title this year, German Vettel outscored Australian Webber by more than 100 points.

And Webber won two grands prix in 2012, both in the first half of the season, compared to Vettel’s five.

A report in Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport said Red Bull’s renowned designer, Adrian Newey, "took half a season" to get the RB8 fully up to speed.

"I just felt more comfortable in the car (in the second half of the season)," Vettel explained.

"The balance was better for me than it was at the beginning, which caused problems especially in qualifying.

"For a long time I was not happy with the exhaust, even though it brought more downforce than the old version.

"I couldn’t play with the car the way I wanted, to fit my driving style. I get my speed in the corners in the entry, while Mark is better at the exit.

"Only the last ’Coanda’-solution got me close to what we had last year," added Vettel.