Formula 1: Vettel quantifies Ferrari's pace deficit to Mercedes
Sebastian Vettel believes the Mercedes Formula 1 team has an advantage of "three, four tenths" over Ferrari, despite the Scuderia's victory in the Australian Grand Prix
Vettel readily admitted after Melbourne that his win was a "lucky" triumph, and that Ferrari was not yet "a true match" for Mercedes.
Ahead of the second race of the year in Bahrain, Vettel offered his estimate of how much pace Mercedes has in hand over Ferrari, as well as its other main challenger Red Bull.
"If you look at the pace - testing, first race - it's pretty clear that Mercedes is fastest, probably with a three, fourth tenths' gap," Vettel said.
"That's also what we saw in the race. Obviously, Lewis was controlling his pace in the beginning and then pushed when he had to.
"He had, obviously, time in hand. I think that's the fair answer. And then I think it's very close behind them."
Hamilton took pole in Australia by a margin of 0.664s over Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, but Vettel is convinced this was not a true reflection of the pace gap between the cars - as both Vettel and Red Bull's Max Verstappen should've been closer to the Mercedes.
Asked whether his gap estimate was for qualifying or race conditions, Vettel replied: "Overall. I think in qualifying [in Melbourne] the gap there looked a bit bigger than it probably should have been.
"I think if you look at the session again, it's pretty clear that Q2 in particular Mercedes and Lewis didn't get the lap together, and then in Q3 he did.
"And I think Max had a small mistake in Q3 and I had a small mistake, so we should have been a bit closer.
"I think that's the gap we saw in qualy and in the race, so both."
Team-mate Raikkonen said he had "zero interest" in trying to guess how much Ferrari is trailing Mercedes by, insisting Hamilton's pole margin from Australia is not too important.
"You can keep guessing [the gap] as long as you want, we will see over the weekend where we are," Raikkonen said.
"I have zero interest to start guessing where we are, or what the difference is in qualifying - there are so many things that will change that - we will do our best and see where we end up.
"The most important part is the Sunday after the race, wherever we finished.
"I am happy to be two seconds off if we win every Sunday."
Fernando Alonso 'sad' Formula 1 has become so predictable
Esteban Ocon expects to miss out on new Force India F1 wing in Bahrain
Why thrilling Jeddah F1 circuit needs to be safer
OPINION: Saudi Arabia's new F1 circuit delivered a memorable first event, although not necessarily for all the right reasons. In the wake of the chaotic race, drivers voiced their concerns about the track but small changes could make significant improvements ahead of a return in four months
The long-term F1 vision causing Haas’s short-term pain
From ranking as one of the most impressive new teams to join the Formula 1 grid, Haas’s stock has plummeted along with its on-track performances over the past two seasons. Everything now hangs on whether its reforged alliance with Ferrari can deliver a better car – and whether its rookie drivers can set aside their quarrels. OLEG KARPOV asks if any of these goals are achievable…
The line Verstappen finally crossed in F1's first Jeddah race
OPINION: Max Verstappen has made the 2021 Formula 1 championship. He’s taken the fight to the all-conquering Mercedes squad and its dominant champion, produced driving displays few can match. But he’s been on a controversial course too, and finally crossed a particular line in Jeddah
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Driver Ratings
An ill-tempered Saudi Grand Prix made Formula 1 more soap opera than sporting spectacle at times, but there were some strong performances up and down the field on the world championship's first visit to Jeddah
How the Jeddah F1 race became a one-sitting Netflix drama series
The inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a race packed full of incident as Formula 1 2021's title contenders repeatedly clashed on track. Lewis Hamilton won out over Max Verstappen to level the scores heading into next weekend's Abu Dhabi finale, as Jeddah turned F1 into a drama series
The impressive attitude that earned Albon his second F1 chance
Dropped by Red Bull last season, Alexander Albon has fought back into a Formula 1 seat with Williams. ALEX KALINAUCKAS explains what Albon has done to earn the place soon to be vacated by the highly rated George Russell
How Formula E factors could negate Red Bull's Jeddah practice gap to Mercedes
Mercedes led the way in practice for Formula 1’s first race in Jeddah, where Red Bull was off the pace on both single-lap and long runs. But, if Max Verstappen can reverse the results on Saturday, factors familiar in motorsport’s main electric single-seater category could be decisive in another close battle with Lewis Hamilton
Why Norris doesn’t expect Mr Nice Guy praise for much longer
Earning praise from rivals has been a welcome sign that Lando Norris is becoming established among Formula 1's elite. But the McLaren driver is confident that his team's upward curve can put him in the mix to contend for titles in the future, when he's hoping the compliments will be replaced by being deemed an equal adversary