Ferrari fast in Malaysian heat but Vettel playing it cool
Sebastian Vettel downplayed Ferrari’s performance in Malaysia after the Italian team showed impressive long run pace that matched that of Mercedes.
Vettel, who was third in FP2 some 0.6s off pacesetter Lewis Hamilton, said the warm conditions would suit the red cars.
“I think we had a decent day, testing a couple of things,” said the German. “I have to have a look before I can say much. Historically, we seem to do well when it’s warm. Today was quite warm. In the end we try to be competitive, I think our pace didn’t look too bad, at least from what I was told inside the car. If that’s the name of the game, that the hot conditions suit us, the fact that it’s always warm here might be a good thing.”
However, Vettel insisted that Malaysia will not be Ferrari’s last chance to win a race this year.
“I hope not, I hope that we can progressively improve. But sure, whatever comes up, we need to take it. Our target is to win a race, or win more than one race if we have the chance, but ultimately I think it comes down to doing our best and getting the maximum out of our package. Then we see where it takes us.”
