Vettel: 'It's always good to be faster'

Sebastian Vettel concluded the 2017 season by setting the best time in the Pirelli tests in Abu Dhabi, with a lap of Yas Marina completed in 1'37''551. The pilot Ferrari was satisfied with the new tires from the Italian manufacturer, in particular the new hypersoft with pink sides with which he set the benchmark on the second day.

“The tires seem pretty consistent in terms of performance, Sebastian Vettel told AUTOweekly. The hypertender tire seems to perform well. He is very fast on a lap. We had more degradation but it was still OK. It's always good to be faster. However, the times are not important (in this session). The car was fun to drive and we hope to have an even better one next year. Even the hardest rubbers performed well enough and the overheating phenomenon was not too worrying. »

If Scuderia Ferrari has shown good tire management this season, Sebastian Vettel remains cautious about his team's potential in 2018.

“We've had good and bad races this year. We may have had a tendency to have a good balance in recent seasons, but we still need to improve. We experienced races with more degradation than others. We take nothing for granted. The cars will also be different. Their weight will change slightly, the aero will be optimized… We should be able to use the tires a little better”, added Sebastian Vettel.

The four-time world champion was also invited to comment on the implementation of the Halo which will come into force next year.

“I'm not looking forward to it, but it's part of the game and I'm sure we'll get used to it. We haven't had too much practice with it. We will have to optimize certain things, such as the position of the lights on the starting grid. You still have to get used to the idea of ​​having this in front of your helmet, but you can still see what's in front, otherwise it wouldn't have been introduced.", said the German.