Sebastian Vettel heads into this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix still on top of the Championship standings despite finishing a lowly eighth in the Chinese Grand Prix two weeks ago, mainly thanks to the damage caused when hit by Max Verstappen as they battled for position.
Vettel hopes to be the one to beat again this weekend around the Baku Street Circuit, particularly after taking the past two pole positions and having three strong race outings that saw him win both the Australian and Bahrain Grand Prix.
The German also feels positive that Ferrari has the potential to make a good car even better this season, but despite a positive start to the season, he knows the more important races are still to come.
“We know that we built a good car and that we have a big potential to make it faster,” said Vettel. “That’s what we are working on.
“I believe you always learn something from every race and I think last year Baku was very different from all the other races. I hope to be the man to beat, but it’s a long season. At the moment things looks good, but it doesn’t mean anything.
“The last three races of the year will mean much more than the first ones…”
Looking forward to Baku, Vettel is looking to make it a hat trick of pole positions this season on Saturday, and he admits the circuit is a challenging one, although he feels the main straight is too long.
“It is exciting to be here in Baku and we are going to try and start from the front row,” said Vettel. “This track is quite nice, with the exception of the straights, which are maybe a little too long…
“But they are part of the ‘soul’ of the track, so overall I like it, I think it is quite challenging.”
