Vettel in the new Red Bull RB5

Vettel will with the help of Schumacher get a seat with Ferrari!
Webber is a good driver, but he has to prove that again. Vettel however is much better and that has been proven in last years GP’s.

wolfman

 

Interesting article I read in ITV.com/F1 about Sebastian Vettel.

Amazing though it may seem, 2009 represents just Sebastian Vettel's second full season of Formula 1 despite the new Red Bull Racing recruit already having secured his first race victory and staking his claim as a superstar of the future. ITV.com/F1 heard from the 20-year-old ace at the RB5 launch at Jerez as he revealed his ambitions for his first year at the 'A' team, how his acclimatization to his new surroundings has gone, plus his thoughts on going up against Mark Webber and his expectations for using KERS.
Q: What are your first impressions of the RB5?
Sebastian Vettel: I can give you a better impression when I have done a couple of laps, but just looking from the outside I think it’s a very nice-looking car. But the most important thing is the speed on the circuit, which we still need to prove.

Q: What are your expectations for this season?
SV: It’s difficult to say at this point. Too many things have changed for this year – the rules changed completely, so there is a chance for a lot of teams to do well and for a lot of teams to do not so well. I hope we are one of the teams that do well. Obviously last year the team hasn’t been in a top position, so we are trying to improve and trying to close the gap to the front-runners. That is our task; let’s see how we get on.

Q: You knew the team before you joined them, but how is the relationship gelling?
SV: It takes time but now I think we are at a good point to start with the new car. We used the time last year to build up a relationship – I got to know the team and the guys I’m working with much better, so I think all these problems [of getting used to each other] should be solved by now and we can focus on trying to make the car work.

Q: As you’ve seen the other cars coming out and you knew how your car was coming along, were you feeling more and more confident?
SV: I don’t know, I haven’t done a single lap. From the outside I think the car looks nice. It always depends on what is your taste; in a way it’s art, so you have many ways to interpret it. For sure there are a couple of cars I like more and a couple of cars I like less just by the way they look, and I would say our car is one of the nicest for me.

Q: What would you say is the biggest difference between the team you came from, Toro Rosso, and Red Bull Racing?
SV: The language! But obviously the team language was English before… But maybe the food and the eating habits! That is the biggest difference, but it’s not a disaster! I think we have good guys here and we had some strange habits in Toro Rosso as well. Every team has its own way to work, and that’s basically what you need to understand when you come to a new team. It was the same when I went from BMW to Toro Rosso – you need to understand how the team is functioning, who are the key people surrounding you and who are the people you will be working closely with.

Q: Would you care to elaborate on these strange habits? SV: We will have a lot of fun I guess.

Q: Have you had a chance to compare Renault power with the Ferrari engine you had last year?
SV: Yes.
Q: What’s the difference?
SV: I think nowadays there’s not too much difference between the engines. Obviously each engine has its own characteristics. I think power-wise they are very close together, but for sure one is more in that direction and the other one has strengths in other areas. But I’m not willing to go any deeper as it wouldn’t be fair for Ferrari as well as for Renault, so I keep it for myself.

Q: Does it make a big difference having 550 people working for you rather than 175?
SV: It’s still one car I’m allowed to drive, so not really. It’s a bigger team, there are more people, but in the end you need to figure out who are the key people for you. You don’t work with all these 500 people – obviously they are all part of the team and they all have their position and they are all important, but the driver is driving the car and we are trying to maximize our performance on-track, and for that you have a few key people surrounding you.
But obviously we have more manpower, more knowledge [at RBR] and I believe there is a greater potential. So let’s see.

Q: You say there is greater potential but isn’t there also more pressure, because now you are expected to finish in the points rather than it being a surprise?
SV: I was expecting last year to win as well once we succeeded [at Monza]. I don’t care if someone is expecting whatever from us, the drivers, or from me in particular. I do my best, I know where I want to finish the race – ahead of everyone – so nothing has changed really.

Q: With such massive rule changes this year, does it give you extra confidence to have one of the great aerodynamicists in Adrian Newey overseeing the car?
SV: Let’s see – as I say, we still need to prove that the car is fast on the circuit, which is the most important thing. It can be very ugly, it can be very nice-looking, but the most important thing is that it’s quick. That’s something unknown so far; I think in a couple of days we will know better. But I believe Adrian is a very good designer – in a way a genius – but as a team you are dependent on a lot of people, not just on one person. Formula 1 has become a team sport, so there are more than just one or two key people you need to be successful.

Q: You have a few more buttons on the steering wheel to press this year; is there a chance to use them more cleverly than the others?
SV: I think so. It will be new for all of us to get to know how the buttons work. You have the KERS system, the front wing and therefore a lot of buttons. I believe that once you have found your way to handle them it could be an advantage – it depends how well the others are using them. But for sure I think the driver can make a bigger difference in pressing the buttons compared to last year.

Q: Is KERS in a way a 'driver aid'?
SV: I don’t think it’s a driver aid. It’s a system which still needs to be proven that it’s faster for every team. But I think there is some potential; that’s why all the teams are very keen to develop the systems. Obviously you can have an advantage compared to another car if you are running KERS and there is a non-KERS car ahead. You could gain an advantage in a special situation. The system is very new and very unknown – we need a bit of time to see how it goes and how it impacts on the racing especially.

Q: You expect to have it from the first race? SV: No.

Q: Bernie has tipped you as the man to watch this year. Do you think that last year’s success has moved you up to a different level as a driver?
SV: I hope that I always will continue learning, otherwise it means that I will stop – so I’m always pushing very hard and trying very hard to improve myself. What other people think I cannot really influence. I try to get the best results I can, and if that changes people’s minds, OK, it’s out of my hands. The only thing I’m focusing on is the results, driving the car and learning. There is a lot to learn.

Q: So you don’t feel any extra pressure at all? Are you really that focused on just your own perspective?
SV: Yes. If there is someone coming and telling you ‘you have to do this now and it would be good if we can finish in this or that position’, fine. But in the end I know where I want to go, I know where I want to finish. Last year, at some races let’s say the car was good for P5-P10, then obviously you want to be P5 and you don’t need anyone telling you. And then if you were P8 or P9 it was a good result maybe, but I was not satisfied because I knew if things had gone perfectly we could have been P5 or P6. You are always trying to do your best independent of what people expect or want to see.

Q: Do you have a special target for this year?
SV: The target is to win. Obviously it’s not correct for me to sit here and say I am going to win the world championship. I want to, but we need to see. We need these tests now to prepare for the season, we need to see how we are going, where we are in comparison to the others. I believe that the new rules could give a chance to teams like us to close the gap to the front – but nevertheless I think the favorites are Ferrari and McLaren, no doubt. If we are doing extremely well then we will be in a position to score points regularly and maybe fight for a little bit more. I am not the kind of guy to tell you we are going to be here or there. I prefer to stay on the floor and work hard. If we are getting a surprise then it’s even better.

Q: If you beat Mark in Melbourne, everyone will say he has a broken leg, but if he beats you everyone says he has beaten you with a broken leg. It’s not a very easy situation to be in, is it?
SV: I never thought about that! I think if Mark is in the car he will be fit – if he is not fit he will not be in the car. So far, I have spoken with him and the recovery is going on well. Obviously it’s not an easy thing to handle for him but I believe he is old enough, experienced enough and wise enough to decide whether it ‘s good for him to race or not.
Q: Do you expect to beat him in Melbourne? SV: That’s the target.

Q: Do you have safety reservations over KERS?
SV: There was a lot of discussion going on. I think our system should be safe. We haven’t run with KERS yet so I am trying to answer to something that I don’t know yet because we haven’t faced the situation on the track. But I believe that at the point we use it, it will be safe. There are a lot of scenarios which you have to think about – impacts or whatever, and how it will be for the KERS system – but I hope we will be wiser as soon as we decide to race with the system.

Q: Have you been given instructions on what to do with KERS? Are you allowed to touch the car at any time or do you have to wear rubber gloves?
SV: Yes. Sit still. I think everybody will get a bit of special instruction because it’s a completely new technology. But I don’t use rubber gloves!