Scuderia Ferrari German driver Sebastian Vettel says there are “a lot of positive aspects” for the Maranello team to take from the first four rounds of the 2017 Formula 1 championship, but adds that Ferrari should “take nothing for granted” and try to improve as much as possible each race.
Sebastian Vettel won two times this season, in Australia and Bahrain, results which have been backed up by second-place finishes in China and Russia. This has lead to the Scuderia Ferrari driver currently leading the Formula 1 Driver Standings ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, with a 13-point lead over Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton. However, Seb has emphasised that the Italian team cannot afford to relax as the sport prepares for the European phase of the season:
“I think we have had a very good start. It would be wrong to sit here and say that is what we expected – but we’re here to win, we’re here to do our best. If we look back I think we have more or less extracted the maximum. So I’m very happy with where we are as a team – but we can still learn and we can still improve and I think that’s the way we go forward. Nothing is for granted in Formula 1, Barcelona is just another race and we have a lot of races to go this year, but before that we have two weeks’ time to look at what we have done so far and improve step by step. I’m generally looking forward: we have a strong car, a strong team, the spirit is good, so lots of positives.” – Sebastian Vettel explained, as reported by Italian daily newspaper La Stampa.
Scuderia Ferrari’s driver is also sure that Red Bull will make a big step forward and join the battle between Mercedes and Ferrari, as his former team is known for its ability to develop the car during the season. Max Verstappen finished the 2017 Russian Grand Prix in fifth place, more than a minute behind Valtteri Bottas and despite the fact that Red Bull does not seem for the moment capable of fighting for podium finishes, the Austrian team will most likely introduce a heavily-revised chassis in Spain, which will be followed by upgrades from power unit supplier Renault for the next races: “I think it will be a very close race between Mercedes and us, I hope, and I also hope that Red Bull find some pace. There are a lot of rumours around, but what is sure is the fact that they are a strong team, they know how to build a quick car so I expect it’s a question of when, rather than if, but the sooner [Red Bull improves], the more exciting it will be for us.” – Sebastian Vettel concluded.
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