Scuderia Ferrari German driver Sebastian Vettel joked that the 2018 Formula One season could be a “walk in the park” for the Maranello team if they make the same step in progression like they did at the start of the 2017 championship. Sat alongside Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in the final drivers’ press conference of the season in Abu Dhabi earlier today, Sebastian Vettel was asked whether Scuderia Ferrari had learned and improved enough to launch a sustained title challenge for the 2018 Formula One season.
The four-time F1 world champion replied: “Well I think if we can do a similar step for next year and…don’t get me wrong, it’s a joke and Germans don’t like to joke so much, it should be a walk in the park. What I want to say by that is the steps made this year have been incredible. The way the team came out with a competitive car at the beginning, the way we have improved both chassis, engine has been outstanding. It has been close for most of the year but not close enough when it mattered. From that, we have made our conclusions, learned our lessons so that will help us next year. We are completely fired up. It has been bitter but I think it has been positive that we have had a couple of races [this year] to approach and look forward to next season.” – Sebastian Vettel said, as reported by Italian national sports newspaper based in Rome Corriere dello Sport on Thursday.
Lewis Hamilton says the years of Formula One cars looking good are about to come to an end as F1 prepares to introduce the Halo for the 2018 F1 season. Sebastian Vettel, who has been a strong advocate of the new head protection device, accepted the Halo looks unattractive. But he believes the aesthetics will be improved: “I think the cars will look different next year. Everything I have seen so far looks different. But on the other hand I think it’s something we will all get used to. It’s no doubt the cars look better the way they are now but I’m sure that we’ll get used to it. We’ll work on the aesthetics so that it will look fine. In the end it’s probably less of a big deal.” – Scuderia Ferrari’s German driver added.
Halo is being introduced to give drivers greater protection in crashes involving large pieces of debris, such as wheels, other cars and solid objects such as walls. It has proved divisive among the drivers and prompted widespread criticism over its appearance and questions over whether it is needed.
It will be used in F1 from 2018. Formula Two’s new car for next season will also feature a Halo and it is also being introduced in other junior categories such as the new American Formula Three championship.
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