MELBOURNE PREVIEW WITH SEB

Vettel speaks ahead of the first race of the season.

- Sebastian, after two weeks of winter testing, it’s now time to pack up again, destination Melbourne. What kind of feedback can you provide from the Barcelona running?

"I think we’re starting from a good base with our SF71H car. Now we’ll have to work on development to further explore and improve its potential. I have a lot of confidence in our team, I know how skilled and committed the guys in Maranello are".

- Many teams, including our main competitors, piled up an impressive mileage this winter. What can you say about how it went from a Ferrari perspective?

"We, too, did a good job in terms of mileage, totaling some 4,323 Kilometers of running. I have a personal best of 188 laps in one day, which is 875 Km and a total of nearly three thousand! We did not experience any major issues with the car, and I had fun driving it"

- A lot has been said and written about our competitors’ pace in race simulation. Could you express your point of view as a driver?

"Our competitors – Mercedes and Red Bull – used one type of tyre for their race distance simulations, which is something you can’t do in a Grand Prix. This has an impact on the strategies and ultimately on the result."

- Speaking about tyre management: could blistering be a real issue?

"I think it’s quite normal that, after the first few days of testing, every team tries to get the tyre supplier to go in the direction that suits their car best. We think Pirelli has done a good job with their compound selection."

- Are you looking forward to the first race of the season?

"I can’t wait to be in Australia, because once we get on track there, we will all be driving and racing under the same conditions. And, as I said before, I have confidence in our car."