Ferrari will be even stronger in 2016 - Vettel

Sebastian Vettel is certain Ferrari will be "even stronger" as a team in 2016 than last season.

The four-time world champion took three victories in his first season as a Ferrari driver as he finished third in the drivers' championship. Vettel was not the only new face at Ferrari as the team had a new president in Sergio Marchionne and new team principal in Maurizio Arrivabene.

Having been Mercedes' nearest rival despite a season of change in terms of key personnel, Vettel says Ferrari is more capable of fighting at the front this year.

"We had a fantastic year last year - obviously my first season with the team - and we all want more," Vettel said.  "Last year, we finished second overall in the constructors' championship so there is only one more step which is a difficult one to take but hopefully this car will help us achieve it.

"We have improved in many areas. When I joined the team there were a lot of people changing their positions and it was a difficult time to have expectations. But now we have had a much better winter to prepare and therefore we will be a strong team - as we have seen already last year - but even stronger this year."

Ferrari launched its new car - the SF16-H - online on Friday afternoon, with Arrivabene setting the team the target of fighting for the championship until the end of the season.

VIDEO: Mercedes W07 on track at Silverstone

GALLERY: First pictures of the FW38

Check out Red Bull Racing's 2016 livery

Key dates for the 2016 F1 season

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Perez reveals how he became Force India's unlikely saviour

Sergio Perez has revisited one of the most extraordinary off-track stories of his Formula 1…

11 hours ago

FIA expands straight-line mode at Spa – as Alonso sounds warning

Formula 1’s return to Spa-Francorchamps this weekend will introduce a striking new element to the…

13 hours ago

McLaren set for Mercedes engine upgrade at Spa and rear-wing trial

McLaren will arrive at the Belgian Grand Prix with a fresh opportunity to reset its…

15 hours ago

Michael bows to Mika on British GP podium

On this day in 2001 at the British GP at Silverstone, Formula 1 fans were…

16 hours ago

Bearman moved to tears after driving Senna’s iconic Lotus

The Silverstone pitlane has borne witness to countless moments of motorsport history, but recently, it…

17 hours ago

Steiner: Time for McLaren to ‘grow up’ and build its own engine

McLaren’s search for answers in Formula 1 has once again turned the spotlight onto its…

18 hours ago