Toro Rosso keeping feet on the ground

With the German and his teammate Sebastien Bourdais scoring nine points in the last two races, the Faenza-based outfit are tied for seventh in the constructors' championship with Williams and are just eight points behind sister team Red Bull Racing.

But Vettel says that the strong pace over recent weeks is no guarantee that things will remain the same for the rest of the season.

"We have to stay on the ground," said Vettel. "We could not expect the last two races to be that strong. We will fight to be that strong again here but we cannot expect it right away.

"It will be a long weekend. We don't know about the weather, it is a bit unusual to have rain forecast. At the end, whoever we beat, we try to get the maximum points we can get.

"I believe we have a strong package, and I believe we have some potential, so it is up to us to use it now in the last couple of races. This circuit is very special. We had a good test with good preparation, so I think we know what we can do.

"It is obviously difficult but it depends on the others - if everybody goes slow, we win the race no problem! But I think there is a chance to fight for the top ten again."

Although Bourdais has complained of the handling characteristics of the STR3 being unsuitable for his driving style since an aerodynamic package was introduced in France, Vettel says he has no similar problems.

"Maybe I haven't felt so much!" he said. "I think the car is good to drive. The most important thing is the car has some potential as we saw in the last races.

"When you go close to the limit then everything is more difficult. You are trying to find a tenth or a couple of hundredths here so you have to try. Sometimes you lose the car or the car is loose, but it is not down to a specific aero package change."