Sebastian Vettel admits he is feeling the pressure to deliver for Ferrari in 2016, but he and the team aren't overly concerned by their failure to win a race in the opening three races of the season.
The Italian team headed into the year full of confidence, proclaiming they would fight hard against Mercedes to deliver a much closer title battle, and although things looked up at the first race in Australia, Mercedes' Nico Rosberg has gone on to win all three races, opening up a 53-point lead between the two teams.
Despite that, Vettel remains confident, believing they have closed the gap and are in a better positions than 12 months ago.
"We didn’t have the first three races that we were looking for, but I think we are in a better position than last year," he said.
"Usually, when you finish second the year before in the Championship overall, you want to be the best team next year. We said many times we are happy with the car, we are on the right track. We are not overly concerned.
Vettel is looking for a cleaner, more straight-forward race weekend to prove just how close Ferrari are to Mercedes and to put the problems he's experienced in the opening races behind him.
"It is natural to have a sense of pressure, especially from myself. There have been races where I was very happy for what I’ve done and there have been occasions in which I know I didn’t do my best, but that’s how it is.
"I think it’s about putting things together and things coming together as well. For sure we are not sitting here waiting to have a lucky race. We are working very hard and we want to make progresses.
"The race is on Sunday and there’s always a chance. So, for now we have to focus on Friday and then go from there. Honestly, I think about how I feel with the car and our feeling is good. We look at ourselves and not too much at the others."
