Vettel sees progress but Ferrari race pace needs improvement

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Sebastian Vettel is feeling better about his Ferrari SF71-H in Bahrain, and sees more speed to extract from both his short and long runs.

Melbourne's winner left Australia with 25 points in his bag but not all that satisfied with the performance of his 2018 prancing horse, admitting his confidence level in the new machine wasn't where he wanted it to be.

Vettel concluded Friday's second practice session in P2, just behind team mate Kimi Raikkonen, and offered a positive overview of the day's workload.

"In Australia we were a little bit behind and also in terms of feeling not yet happy," said the German driver.

"We tried some stuff today mostly to fix the front end because it hasn’t been very strong in Australia and it’s got a bit better.

"Let’s see where we are tomorrow. I think we can still improve for both short and long run."

Wolff not worried despite lukewarm Friday in Bahrain

Based on Friday's opening salvo, Ferrari appears to enjoy an edge over Mercedes, at least on the short runs. But Vettel knows that race pace will prove the deciding factor on Sunday.

"My long run was OK, I think it should have been a bit stronger," he admitted.

"But as I said we tried different things with balance with the car, we tried to get a read.

"It looks like we were a bit quicker than the rest but it depends on the programme. At this point I wouldn’t draw on any conclusions.

"We focus on ourselves and the set-up mostly and try to get a bit better feel which at times was good, at other times was not yet there so still some stuff to do."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.