Sebastian Vettel predicts that it “should be a special feeling” to contest the German Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver for the first time this weekend.
Having joined the Scuderia ahead of the 2015 campaign, Vettel was not able to race on home soil last season following the demise of the event. The four-time world champion will also be the first German driver to compete under the Ferrari banner in Germany since childhood hero and F1 legend Michael Schumacher’s final season at Maranello in 2006.
“I think it is nice to come back after last year, when we didn’t have a German Grand Prix,” Vettel said. “I think it is great to go back to Germany and be able to race.
“Being German, I think that for all the German drivers it is a privilege to go to your home country and race in front of your home crowd, so I am definitely looking forward to it.
“It is the first time for me with a Ferrari car, so I think it should be a special feeling turning up.”
Despite his 42 career wins, Vettel’s best result to date at the Hockenheimring is the third-place finish he secured with Red Bull during his 2010 title-winning campaign.
“I think I know the track itself quite well from junior categories,” the 29-year-old added. “I raced there a lot. I usually like it and hopefully we can be very competitive. I think it is a good mix, there is everything a driver can ask for.
“It is quite technical, not that easy to get everything right, and quite tough also to find the right balance of the car because you have so many corners and different speeds, but it is definitely a fun place.”
This weekend’s German Grand Prix will also be Ferrari’s first race after technical director James Allison left the team.
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