Sebastian Vettel says that he's focussed on how to improve Ferrari's form for the remainder of 2016, as well as for next year's new technical regulations, and that he's not reconsidering his commitment to the team.
“I think we are all fairly busy at this time to focus on the four races that we have left and focus in particular to prepare for next year," he said on Thursday.
"I think honestly that’s where the main focus lies. I don’t think it’s that important to look into details, my contract is obviously all fine for next year.
"With a lot of things happening back in the factory, back in Maranello, I know that we are very, very busy -- that’s also where I want the focus to be.”
Ferrari has yet to win a race so far this season, but Vettel said that he hasn't given up hope of reaching the top of the podium in the remaining four races of 2016.
"I think there's always a chance. I think obviously in Japan we did some progress so that was positive, he said. "It could have been a bit better in Japan but it wasn't, so we're ready for this race.
"The most important step is that we fight, that we give everything we have.
"I think [the new parts] were a step forward. Both Kimi and myself liked it straight away. I think it gave us quite good performance in Japan. Japan usually is quite a good test for the overall performance of the car.
"Here you can argue it's similar in some ways [to Japan], the first sector has a lot of fast corners as well, the last sector is a little bit slower, but overall I think it gave us a good indication for this year.
"There's always somethings that you learn - next year the rules are changing quite a lot but still every but you understand about the car and how it works helps you for the future.
"I had a very good race last year," he said of the storm-hit race 12 months ago in Austin. "Obviously we had to start a little bit further back - the weather helped us in that regard to come back and finish on the podium so it was a great first race with Ferrari here."
Despite the lack of wins, it's clear that the appeal of being a Ferrari driver hasn't diminished for Vettel.
"A huge fan base here, obviously Italy is really the core where the foundation lies, but everywhere around the world it's amazing to see how much support we get. There's always a lot of Ferrari flags, people dressed in red, and very passionate fans around the track. It's great to be part of that family."
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