Sebastian Vettel has played down the significance of Ferrari scoring three straight victories, including his first of the season in Singapore.
Their recent run marks the first time since 2008 that the Italian team has managed a trio of successes, with their performance at Marina Bay particularly unexpected.
While it is clear Ferrari has made progress over the summer, Vettel is adamant there is still a lot to be done before their mission is complete.
“I’ve been around for a while now with Ferrari and I think there’s only one way for Ferrari to be back, which is when we win the championship,” he was quoted by PlanetF1.
“That’s a very harsh judgement but that’s what it is, that’s the reality and we’re working very hard on that.
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“I think this year will be very, very difficult to turn things around with the current form that Mercedes has for the last 15 races or 14 races that we did now.
“But we keep fighting because anything we learn this year will help us next year, so the bits we brought here obviously are positive in terms of also looking to next year’s direction, development etc.
“We need more, obviously we want to be the best team, which currently we are not.
“The last races have been good for us so that’s great for our self-confidence inside the team for everyone, but there’s still a lot of work ahead of us.”
Though his win in Singapore was slightly contentious, with Charles Leclerc feeling aggrieved at having been undercut by his teammate, Vettel noted how it’s important for the Scuderia to remain united.
“I said on the radio after the race that the team is bigger than myself, bigger than any individual,”he revealed.
“I’m happy for the guys and we finished one-two, so for me the order is important, and for Charles the order is important, that is why we are here. We ultimately want to fight for victories.
“As I said, the team in this regard is bigger than us.”