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Vettel surprised by 2008 performance
Sebastian Vettel says his season was a lot better than he expected after finishing in eighth position in the drivers' championship
Jonathan Noble
Pablo Elizalde
The young German had a sensational year with Scuderia Toro Rosso, becoming the youngest ever winner after scoring a victory following a dominant performance at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Vettel, who managed 35 points this year, admitted he never expected such a strong season.
"Very proud. It is always nice to first of all see the chequered flag in the last race, and second to finish with such a good position," Vettel, who will move to Red Bull next year, told autosport.com.
"We scored a lot of points this year, so P8 was much better than expected. It was far better than expected. It was an incredible season for us."
Vettel also played down the importance of beating senior team Red Bull Racing.
"We were trying to do our best and we beat them on the circuit, and that is it. End of story - not much more to say," he added.
And the German is under no illusions about the task ahead of him when he joins the Milton Keynes squad for next season.
"There is a lot to do in Red Bull, a lot we can improve so there is a long way to go," Vettel said.
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