Sebastian Vettel: Ferrari needs 'a while' to catch Mercedes F1 team
Ferrari still needs "a while" to properly match the Mercedes Formula 1 team, says Sebastian Vettel, although he is amazed by his new squad's progress since 2014
The Scuderia is second in the constructors' championship having ended a win drought of close to two years in last month's Malaysian Grand Prix, while Vettel is third in the drivers' standings.
But the four-time world champion stressed that the team and its fans must not get carried away with its early success.
"Obviously, the target is to catch Mercedes from where we are because we seem to be the team right behind them," said Vettel.
"They had a very, very strong season last year and had a strong build-up to this year, so I think it is amazing to see how good we are already.
"It will take a while before we are a decent match.
"Every weekend that is coming, we try to put more and more pressure on if we can."
He is confident that more progress will be made as the season progresses.
"There is plenty of stuff that we need to do and need to improve, that is where my focus is," said Vettel.
"That is our best chance, to look at performing well this year and at having the strongest chance for the championship.
"It is April, it is time to keep our feet on the ground.
"We are not favourites, we know that, but I think up until this stage we surprised a lot of people.
"We know that we can do well and we know that we can do better."
CURRENT CONSTRUCTORS' STANDINGS:
| Pos | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 159 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 107 |
| 3 | Williams/Mercedes | 61 |
CURRENT DRIVERS' STANDINGS:
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 93 |
| 2 | Nico Rosberg | 66 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | 65 |
| 4 | Kimi Raikkonen | 42 |
| 5 | Felipe Massa | 31 |
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