Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel playing down the high expectations and some would argue the requirement of a win at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix for his championship chances.
The Scuderia suffered what President Sergio Marchionne called an “embarrassing” loss to Mercedes at their home race at Monza two weeks ago, a result that also saw Lewis Hamilton move to the top of the Drivers’ Championship for the first time in 2017.
The hot, twisty streets of Marina Bay are anticipated to suit Ferrari much better than their main rivals, however, perhaps even allowing for a similarly crushing victory. Although talking to reporters on Thursday, Vettel reiterated how he doesn’t follow predictions.
“In theory, it should be a better here than in Monza, but I think it will be close and it’s been close no matter where we go, on the tracks that are supposed to definitely suit Mercedes or definitely suit Ferrari,” he said.
To back up his opinion, the four-time champion pointed at two noticeable occasions when the expected form guide almost got tore up.
“If you look at the qualifying result in Monaco it was black and white in terms of the result, yes but the gaps were small and Valtteri was very close to being on pole,” Vettel stated. “Then if you look in Spa, which you could argue was a strong one for Mercedes, we were very strong in the race and also in qualifying.”
Instead, when trying to determine the likelihood of success, he concluded: “I go with what we have and what I will feel tomorrow at the track and the car that I then have under me.
“Around here it is important that you trust the car, it makes a big difference at street circuits and I like that. There is no reason to believe that the car shouldn’t be any good, but how good it will be we will find out.”
On the championship situation, which now sees the German trailing by three points, Vettel insisted the result this weekend was not going to end his chances of matching Juan Manuel Fangio’s tally.
“I think it’s more important to have the lead on Sunday night after Abu Dhabi, so whatever happens along the way happens, the target is clear,” he claimed. “We have a lot of races, a lot of time to get points, and then we will count at the end.
On whether he would be disappointed not to win this weekend, he added: “I think it depends on the race. If you have a chance to win and you don’t win, yes, but if you don’t have a chance to win and you don’t win, then not so much.”
