The 2017 Formula One season is closer, with almost only one month left until the 2017 Australian Grand Prix, scheduled to take place on 26 March 2017 in Melbourne. Mercedes and Red Bull are generally considered to set the pace early on in the season given the regulation changes being made for the 2017 championshop, yet Jacques Villeneuve (1997 F1 world champion) says that Scuderia Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel should not be ruled out from the fight.
In an recent interview with German weekly sports magazine Sport Bild, the Canadian professional auto racing driver referred to the German’s time spent testing the new Pirelli’s as a very important factor, which could help the Italian team: “Sebastian’s driving style fits perfectly with the new cars. Not just that, he is the one who has done the most kilometers with the new tyres, by far and this is a clear advantage, especially at the beginning of the season” – said the former Williams driver.
However, Former Formula 1 driver Alex Zanardi has a different view when it comes to Scuderia Ferrari’s chances for the 2017 F1 season, as he considers the major new rules might not be enough for the Maranello team to catch up: “I have no doubt the men at Maranello are extremely keen to redeem themselves after a season that certainly disappointed from the point of view of the great expectations generated by the Scuderia. The problem is that bravery is often a synonym for mediocrity in F1. To win in Formula One means to be exceptional in comparison to your competitors in every way. From the point of view of organisation, the leaders at the moment are Mercedes and Red Bull, while from the inside there have been various revolutions at Ferrari. There is talent in abundance, but without time to work together it is possible that it will still not be enough for Ferrari.” – Alex Zanardi recently told Italian national sports newspaper Corriere dello Sport.
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