Vettel: “We must accept that the Mercedes are very strong”
Despite the fact that Ferrari is increasingly emerging as the main rival to Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel nonetheless tempers the enthusiasm by stating that the Silver Arrows are superior.
The Ferrari team had a strong performance on Friday with a great grouping from Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen, consistently in the top four during both practice sessions.
If the Scuderia emerges as the main rival to Mercedes in the race for victory, Vettel does not wish to get carried away and remains pragmatic, acknowledging that the cars of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are a notch above: “It’s only the third race of the season, and it’s a track quite different from Malaysia, so it’s important to stay focused. The number one goal is to be right behind the Mercedes. We have to accept that the Mercedes are very strong, and as the season progresses, we will try to get as close as possible. Will we fight with them tomorrow? They were very strong today…”
However, the German is not only focused on the Grays, and he is closely monitoring the return to form of Red Bull, with the impressive third-fastest time by his former teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, during the FP2: « Am I scared of Red Bull? No, not really. It’s more or less their first trouble-free Friday since the start of the season. But I think it’s clear that they will become stronger as the season progresses, as everyone finds their own rhythm. »
