Vettel: Intense few weeks have led to 'some answers' for Ferrari

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Sebastian Vettel believes Ferrari has uncovered "some answers' to the team's under-performance in the opening round of the F1 world championship.

The Scuderia was hyped as the class of the field heading to Melbourne but the Italian squad failed to live up to pre-season expectations with both Vettel and Charles Leclerc comfortably outpaced by their Mercedes counter-parts, and by Red Bull's Max Verstappen on race day.

Vettel said the team has done its due diligence on its issues back in Maranello and hopefully uncovered the reasons behind the disappointing performance of its SF90.

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"Obviously there was a lot of reports and big analysis because we wanted to be in a different place,” Vettel said in Bahrain.

"So the last couple of weeks have been very intense. I think we have some answers, but as always you never get all the answers because we never get the chance to go back and repeat.

"Things move on, we’re here now in Bahrain on a different track but I think we learned some stuff about the car and ourselves that should help us to be more competitive here.

"I think we are not in a position to be making promises, the truth is we need to wait and see.

"It’s easy to quantify how slow we were in qualifying and to quantify how much slower we were in the race.

"There are some numbers that we can with confidence say that we should have been better or would have been better if we go back and repeat, but it’s all theory so we need to prove it on track."

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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.