Sebastian Vettel denies his Ferrari power unit is now a match for Mercedes, thus contradicting what Niki Lauda recently claimed.
The Mercedes non-executive chairman said the double world champions “know for certain” that Maranello’s latest upgrade puts them on a par with their engine, which has been the clear benchmark in the 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged era.
“As a fact, we’re not yet a match [for Mercedes], otherwise this season would have been very different,” said Vettel. “I’m very happy with the season so far, with the progress we’ve made and also the things that we have in the pipeline for the future.
“Now, Niki is not usually the best one to trust, let’s put it this way. He is changing his opinion very quickly. Sometimes what he says makes sense, and other times it does not make any sense. The more he is talking about us, the better it is, because he can feel that maybe we’re coming. Hopefully that’s good news.”
In the wake of a dismal, winless 2014 campaign, there is no denying Ferrari’s superb recovery this year. Also coming off a challenging season at Red Bull, Vettel has immediately settled in well in his new surroundings and taken on a leading role.
With three wins to his name, the German knows he and his team have already exceeded expectations. Asked whether Ferrari can turn up the pressure on Mercedes another notch and topple them in 2016, the four-time world champion replied:
“It’s always difficult to predict what’s going to happen but surely it is our target. I can see what is happening in the background, the work that has gone into this year, and that is going into next year back at the factory in Maranello with all the people. It looks promising and I think we should be able to make a good step forward.
“Obviously, the most important day is when you put the new car on the track and see what it does. But that’s still a bit far away. For now we have two races left and we want to do well and ideally get the best possible result here [in Brazil] and then in Abu Dhabi.”
Despite retiring for the time of the season in Mexico a fortnight ago, Vettel remains in contention for the runner-up spot against Mercedes' Nico Rosberg. The 28-year-old trails his fellow countryman by 21 points and says he will give it all to finish P2 in this year's Drivers' championship.
“There’s two races to go, the last one did not help but as long as it’s possible to finish second you want to finish second rather than third. Clearly, our target is to split the Mercedes. The best recipe is to do our job and achieve the maximum and we'll see what happens on Sunday.
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