Chinese Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel confident but wary of Hamilton
By Abhishek Takle
Sebastian Vettel will want to prove Ferrari are no one-hit wonders after their win in Formula One's Australian season-opener, but 'Shanghai specialist' Lewis Hamilton could deny them a second successive triumph in Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix.
The German's Melbourne win was his and Ferrari's first since the Singapore Grand Prix in 2015 and the first time the Italian team has won the opening race of the year since Fernando Alonso took victory in Bahrain in 2010.
Vettel's Ferrari appeared comfortably faster than Hamilton's Mercedes at the Albert Park circuit two weeks ago, raising hopes the sport's most successful team could mount a genuine season-long challenge for the title and end Mercedes' run of dominance.
Victory in Shanghai on Sunday will cement their credentials as genuine championship contenders but Vettel appeared reluctant to play up his chances.
"I think Mercedes still has to be the favourite, obviously," he told reporters on Thursday. "We know that we have a good package which puts us in a strong place but ... we know there's a lot of things that we need to do to keep up with them and keep the position that we are in now, to fight for good races."
Ferrari last began a season with consecutive wins at the height of their dominance with Michael Schumacher in 2004, when the Maranello-based squad raced to 15 wins from 18 races. Vettel's caution could be well-founded given Mercedes and Hamilton's track record in the Chinese race.
The German squad, who have swept to 51 wins from 59 races and a hat-trick of drivers and constructors' titles over the last three years, have won four of the last five races in China. Hamilton has also won the race four times, by far the most of any driver, and is the only man to have celebrated back-to-back success in Shanghai.
"I didn't win the last race which I wanted to do and I'm here to change that," said Briton on Thursday. "At the end of the day they won the race and they did the better job, so we have to do a better job. But I think it is very close."
Of course, past form could count for little on Sunday, given the sweeping rule changes introduced this year aimed at making cars faster, more spectacular to watch and harder to drive. But an early verdict on just how close Mercedes and Ferrari will be on Sunday was delayed after foggy weather grounded the medical evacuation helicopter and forced Friday's practice sessions to be abandoned after limited running.
Conditions at the circuit, on the outskirts of Shanghai, weren't too bad, if a bit misty and damp. But foggier conditions in the city dropping visibility below permissible limits meant the helicopter wouldn't have been able to land at the designated hospital.
Track action is not allowed to take place if the medical helicopter is unable to operate or if the designated hospital cannot be reached within 20 minutes by ambulance, according to governing body FIA's safety procedures.
Only 14 cars set a time before the day's running was abandoned but neither Hamilton nor Vettel were among them, with both limiting their time out on track to nothing more than a pair of installation laps each. Rain is also predicted for Sunday's race, adding even more unpredictability to the weekend.
"It's always a Grand Prix full of surprises," Vettel had told reporters, somewhat prophetically, on Thursday. "You never know what happens around here."
Sebastian Vettel will want to prove Ferrari are no one-hit wonders after their win in Formula One's Australian season-opener, but 'Shanghai specialist' Lewis Hamilton could deny them a second successive triumph in Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix.
The German's Melbourne win was his and Ferrari's first since the Singapore Grand Prix in 2015 and the first time the Italian team has won the opening race of the year since Fernando Alonso took victory in Bahrain in 2010.
Vettel's Ferrari appeared comfortably faster than Hamilton's Mercedes at the Albert Park circuit two weeks ago, raising hopes the sport's most successful team could mount a genuine season-long challenge for the title and end Mercedes' run of dominance.
Victory in Shanghai on Sunday will cement their credentials as genuine championship contenders but Vettel appeared reluctant to play up his chances.
"I think Mercedes still has to be the favourite, obviously," he told reporters on Thursday. "We know that we have a good package which puts us in a strong place but ... we know there's a lot of things that we need to do to keep up with them and keep the position that we are in now, to fight for good races."
Ferrari last began a season with consecutive wins at the height of their dominance with Michael Schumacher in 2004, when the Maranello-based squad raced to 15 wins from 18 races. Vettel's caution could be well-founded given Mercedes and Hamilton's track record in the Chinese race.
The German squad, who have swept to 51 wins from 59 races and a hat-trick of drivers and constructors' titles over the last three years, have won four of the last five races in China. Hamilton has also won the race four times, by far the most of any driver, and is the only man to have celebrated back-to-back success in Shanghai.
"I didn't win the last race which I wanted to do and I'm here to change that," said Briton on Thursday. "At the end of the day they won the race and they did the better job, so we have to do a better job. But I think it is very close."
Of course, past form could count for little on Sunday, given the sweeping rule changes introduced this year aimed at making cars faster, more spectacular to watch and harder to drive. But an early verdict on just how close Mercedes and Ferrari will be on Sunday was delayed after foggy weather grounded the medical evacuation helicopter and forced Friday's practice sessions to be abandoned after limited running.
Conditions at the circuit, on the outskirts of Shanghai, weren't too bad, if a bit misty and damp. But foggier conditions in the city dropping visibility below permissible limits meant the helicopter wouldn't have been able to land at the designated hospital.
Track action is not allowed to take place if the medical helicopter is unable to operate or if the designated hospital cannot be reached within 20 minutes by ambulance, according to governing body FIA's safety procedures.
Only 14 cars set a time before the day's running was abandoned but neither Hamilton nor Vettel were among them, with both limiting their time out on track to nothing more than a pair of installation laps each. Rain is also predicted for Sunday's race, adding even more unpredictability to the weekend.
"It's always a Grand Prix full of surprises," Vettel had told reporters, somewhat prophetically, on Thursday. "You never know what happens around here."
