Sebastian Vettel believes Ferrari can deliver the fastest car on the grid by bringing “everything together” at the same time.
Heading to this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, expectations are pretty low at the Scuderia with team boss Mattia Binotto insisting their subdued pre-season in Barcelona was in fact their real performance.
That has raised concerns that once again Ferrari might have all the tools but still can’t get the job done in creating a car that can take on Mercedes for the championship.
But Vettel believes the Italian team has shown enough potential during his time in red to prove they can be successful.
“The team has done a huge leap forward since I joined in 2015 on many, many grounds,” he told RaceFans.
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“Obviously the regulations have changed and so on, but I think we’ve proven that we’re able to build the fastest car.
“If you take 2017, right from the beginning we probably had the most innovative car. So that speaks for the quality we have in our own roles for the engineering power. In 2018, a large amount of the season we were looking very good.
“Last year, I think we’ve had our strength. Obviously, we didn’t have the strongest package, but we had a package that was strongest in certain circuits and certain areas. So I think the ability to deliver the best is there.”
Indeed, after mixing good cornering performance with the strongest engine, despite questions over its legality, Ferrari for a time were the best team on the grid in the second half of last year.
The key now, Vettel insists, is doing that consistently.
“Obviously what’s missing is to bring everything together and have the best package,” he explained.
“Now, it also depends on what the others are doing. It’s not like we are massively behind in one or the other area, but it’s small details in the end that can make a difference.
“The competition level is very high. I think Merc is setting a very, very high standard as a team. So it’s up to us to meet these standards and I think from what I see inside, moving around and so on, the attention, the will, determination, but also the will as an organisation to keep improving, I think is there.
“So it is, I think, about small things, putting them together. It’s not easy. But certainly, we’re trying very hard and we do have the ingredients, I believe.”
In a side note, the annual question of what Vettel’s personal name for his car has been answered for 2020.
Following in the footsteps of Luscious Liz, Kinky Kylie and Randy Mandy at Red Bull, his Ferrari’s have been a bit more classy with names like Margherita, Gina and last year’s Lina.
For this year, Vettel has opted for Lucilla as his alternative name for the SF1000, the car which could be his last Ferrari if he decides not to renew his contract.