About to embark on the defence of his fourth and latest Formula 1 world title, Sebastian Vettel has been reduced to admitting his Red Bull team will need to “fight” to overcome their disadvantage at this weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull lead-up to the 2014 F1 season has been marred by technical difficulty and world champ Vettel believes the team will begin on the back foot when the races get underway in Melbourne this weekend.
“We have been very successful in the last few years, but now things are a bit more difficult, we will start the season at a bit of a disadvantage,’’ Vettel told Servus TV. “That means we have to fight, charge forward and take everything we can get.’’
Vettel and new Australian teammate Daniel Riccairdo experienced a ton of trouble during testing over the past few weeks, some of that to do with a new Renault engine.
“It’s down to the changes in the regulations. We have a completely new drivetrain that has given us a lot of worry so far,’’ Vettel said of F1 changes that have seen engine sizes reduced from V8s down to a V6.
“It’s very complex and we are having difficulties even to understand everything. When a small part doesn’t fit properly, then the car just won’t go.’’
Ricciardo was tenth fastest in Bahrain while Vettel could manage just 18th. Williams’ Felipe Massa was the top driver during practice runs.
Red Bull logged just 1,705 km in testing compared to the 5,000 registered by Williams and Mercedes.
“First of all, just getting to the finish would be a success,” Vettel said last week.
In other F1 news, Melbourne may be forced to say goodbye to its place in the F1 schedule.
F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, soon to face bribery charges in Germany, is in negotiations with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.
Victorian taxpayers have forked over $56 and $50 million in 2012 and 2013 respectively to hold the event, but the close relationship between Ecclestone and AGPC head Ron Walker is under attack.
Walker, the co-founder of Crown Casino and worth an approximated $775 million, and has been criticised for being too close to negotiations.
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