30/01/2015
NEWS STORY
As Ferrari unveiled its 2015 contender, new boy Sebastian Vettel was asked his opinion of the car with which he will make his race debut with the legendary Italian team.
"It's a change of colour for me, so that's a new experience," smiled the German, "but I think the car looks beautiful. To see how it all comes together is something special. Every year when you see the first bits, and then you finally get to see the car assembled it is something special. I can't wait to get on track and see how it feels.
Asked how the driving position differs from the Red Bull, he said: "Obviously, changing teams there are a lot of different things, not so much about the driving position because obviously it is custom made so you can ask for the things that the way you like them.
"The strategy is a bit different," he continued, "people talk about the same things but in a different language. They use different words for similar actions, so there are a lot of new things to learn but I think we'll have time, during testing, to get into a rhythm.
Talking about settling in at his new team he continued. "When I first arrived to test the 2012 car, it was something magical. Something really, really special. But the focus now is to get going and start the 2015 season properly. It will be something special when the flag drops in Melbourne, the first race with Ferrari.
"There is a lot of change going on, a lot of new people in new positions, including myself," he continues. "It always takes a bit of time to settle in, before you start to make proper progress, but I'm confident that we are going in the right direction, but I think it would be wrong to immediately expect a lot of us, we need to remember we're coming from a 2014 season where there was one team very dominant, so it will be difficult to be there right from the beginning. I think, for us, the main target is to really work together, start to make progress and hopefully catch up more and more as the season progresses."
Asked about his relationship with new teammate Kimi Raikkonen, the German said: "I don't expect any problems. He will be difficult to beat on the track because he's very quick, very talented, but off-track we get along very well and though there aren't many words being exchanged he is always very straightforward, which is something I appreciate. It doesn't happen often in F1."
While his hero Michael Schumacher was slow in picking up even basic Italian when he joined the team in 1996, Sebastian is making an effort. "I'm trying to learn a little bit here and there, it helps the more I listen. Coming from Toro Rosso, the Italian starts to come back."
New team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has said he would be happy with one win this season. "Yes, I think we would be happy, but I think we would be happier if we won more," says Vettel. "As I said, however, you have to be realistic, there is a lot of change that happened over the winter, so I think the most important thing is that we start getting into the groove quickly in testing and then we start to make progress.
"If the situation is like last year it will be really difficult to fight for victories," he admits, a reference to Mercedes clear dominance, "but of course it's our goal, it's why we're here. We're not here to finish second."
Asked if there is a specific track he is looking forward to, he replies: "I always look forward to Japan, it's more or less my favourite track. But there is a lot of events on the calendar. Melbourne is a great place to start the season, a great city, a great vibe, a great track. Singapore also is a race I enjoy a lot, a night race and a technical, demanding track. There's not really a race I don't like so I'm looking forward to all the races."
Check out our Ferrari SF15-T and drivers gallery, here.