Sebastian Vettel is positive for a strong Malaysian Grand Prix after his Scuderia Ferrari team managed to take the victory at the circuit last year, his first victory as a Ferrari driver.
Heading into the weekend Vettel is optimistic that the high temperatures and the variables that the Sepang International Circuit can bring to the team could work in their favour.
“The last races seem to show that we are on a way up again so in theory the mood is positive, the car is working fine,” said Vettel. “We have some new bits, hopefully they help us to be even more competitive and then we’ll see. You need to set into the groove.
“It was a very good place for us here last year with hot conditions. This year I don’t know if it feels as hot, at least up to now, but it might change. The asphalt is new, it’s a lot darker, which could cause high surface temperatures, a different reaction response of the car with the tires, and so on. So there are lots of variables, we need to get on top of them and hopefully get it right on Saturday afternoon and Sunday.”
Ferrari have yet to win a race this season and could feel that Malaysia would be their best chance to take victory, stopping the dominance of the Silver Arrows Mercedes team.
“I think there’s always a chance to win, a lot of things can happen on Sunday afternoon and that’s why we’re here, that’s what I feel like when I’m standing on the grid, there’s always a chance to win. We have six races left so our target is to do well and try to win in all of them, which is very ambitious, but we’ll go race by race and see what we can do.”
Malaysia has always been unpredictable with the extreme weather conditions and higher tyre degradation. The Grand Prix is being run later on in the calendar which could affect the temperatures and overall conditions of the track.
