Sebastian Vettel says the strength of Ferrari’s SF71H at an array of different venues this year acts as a boost for his Formula 1 title ambitions.
Vettel challenged for overall honours in 2017 but ultimately missed out amid a sequence of errors and reliability setbacks, as Mercedes eventually asserted its authority.
This year Vettel and Ferrari have re-emerged as a renewed threat, regularly holding the fastest package in dry conditions, taking five wins so far – the same as in the whole of 2017.
Vettel also missed out on potential victories in China, Azerbaijan, Germany and Hungary, owing to errors, strategic decisions and circumstance.
“We had our deficits last year, I think we had a car that worked really well on twisty tracks where a lot of downforce was required,” said Vettel after triumphing at the Belgian Grand Prix.
“But we were missing out on tracks where the car needs to be more efficient like [at Spa], like Silverstone usually and a couple of other tracks.
“This year the car seems to be more robust in that regard and seems to work everywhere.
“Needless to say we improved the package as well – the power unit – so on all fronts I think we’ve done a step forward.
“But yes, it is a key to have a car that works everywhere because that has been our weakness and I think we tackled it fairly well.
“I don’t think the car was there right from the beginning but I think we’ve got it now to a point where it seems to work everywhere and we are competitive.”
Vettel will head to Ferrari’s home race at Monza 17 points behind title rival Lewis Hamilton.
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