F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Vettel is confident, but dismisses Ferrari favourite label

Sebastian Vettel feels confident in Ferrari's ability to perform well in Mexico City, but the German driver dismissed suggestions the Scuderia is the event's clear favourite.

Ferrari's form since the end of F1's summer break has yielded three wins in five races and five consecutive pole positions, thanks to a clear performance step achieved by the Italian outfit's SF90.

By its own admittance, Mercedes is expected to struggle at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez while Red Bull also feels currently outpaced by Ferrari.

But Vettel was cautious on Thursday on his team's prospects.

"People look at the track and they look at the straight line. I think we’ve been strong on the straight lines in recent races, but there’s quite a couple of corners," Vettel said.

"Plus here, it’s not one of the tracks where efficiency matters so much. We do have quite an efficient car, so maybe we can’t use that to our advantage

"So we will see how we manage around the corner sections where some of these type of corners have been our weakness, so we’ll see."

Vettel trusts the SF90's package but reckons that the track's layout will cater to both his car's qualities and relative weaknesses.

"I feel confident, I think we have a good package," he added.

"There are parts of the track that should be in our favour, other parts where it might be a bit more difficult, but we will see how it works out.

"The weather could be a bit difficult this weekend, so we see what happens."

Indeed, forecasts suggest that thunderstorms will hit Mexico City over the race weekend, although they are predicted to materialize in the evenings, well after the end of F1's track action.

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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.

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