Sebastian Vettel confident about Ferrari's show ahead of Spanish GP
Ferrari are in a spot of bother this year in Formula 1 after failing to win any of the four races so far. Mercedes have topped the positions in all the races as they enjoy a significant lead. The likes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have dominated the show. In the same light, Sebastian Vettel opened up ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Mercedes have opened up a significant gap over Ferrari
Ferrari have managed three third-placed podium finishes so far and the gap could widen in the weekend's race in Spain. Mercedes have a whopping 74-point lead over their arch-rivals. In the driver's standings, Bottas leads the show with 87 points. Hamilton sits second on 86. Meanwhile, Vettel has just 52 and is on third place ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Ferrari's start a poor one despite promising pre-season
Four-time champion Vettel and his team Ferrari were expected to start well after an impressive pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya. But the Italian outfit has struggled in the opening races. Germany's Vettel said that he expected to see the car and team bounce back to their best during this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.
We're in good shape and we're confident: Vettel
"The car was really good in testing. Then we arrived in Australia and struggled to feel the same and the first four races have been up and down. Deep down, we know the car is strong. And the spirit is as good or better than last year," said Vettel. He added, "We're in good shape and we're confident about the parts we bring here."
Vettel confident ahead of Sunday's race
"This weekend will be interesting for us because we had a good feeling here not so long ago - so it will be interesting to see how it behaves this weekend. I'm confident if we can get to the level, we will be very competitive."
What happened in the first practice session today?
Meanwhile, Bottas headed the two Ferraris during the first practice session at the Spanish GP on Friday. The world championship leader was 0.115 seconds quicker than the two Ferraris. Hamilton was fourth quickest after having some issues with his tyres. All eyes will be on Ferrari tomorrow in qualification. They have saved an upgraded engine for the weekend after running the old one today.
