After falling away in the title race this season Sebastian Vettel insists Ferrari are “fired up” to challenge champions Mercedes in 2018.
At the halfway stage this year, Ferrari driver Vettel led the F1 drivers’ championship, but Mercedes ace Lewis Hamilton roared back to win the title with two races to spare.
Vettel admits the Brit was a deserved winner but Ferrari will be working hard during the winter break to close the gap.
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Speaking ahead of this weekend’s season-finale grand prix in Abu Dhabi, Vettel told Sky Sports: “Lewis probably made fewer mistakes and the best man won in the end. He deserved to win.
“It was toe to toe for most of the season but not for the most important part of the season. The final step is always the hardest.”
With five grand prix wins in 2017, Vettel is confident Ferrari have a platform to build on during the off-season and come back stronger next year.
“The team is ready and fired up,” Vettel added. “We have good projects in the pipeline. Some will take time, some will be quite soon.
“The winter gives everyone the opportunity to do everything a lot better, that’s what everyone sets out to do, and we’ll see who achieves that. But I’m confident we have the right people on board.
“The spirit is definitely there and already now people are completely fired up for next year. We know that we have to make that final step and that final step is the toughest one. The opposition is quick, Mercedes is very strong and Red Bull will be more in the mix from the beginning of next year.”
Hamilton: last race for ‘good looking cars’
World champion Hamilton believes Sunday’s race at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi will be the end of an era for F1.
Next year will see the introduction of the Halo and cockpit protection, and Hamilton says Abu Dhabi is the last race where cars will “look good”.
Hamilton told ESPN: “I think next year, it’s all downhill from there in terms of how they look. But safety will go up at least and maybe it could be successful in some way.”
How to watch the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Tomorrow’s qualifying and Sunday’s race will be shown live on Sky Sports, with both events starting at 1pm. Channel 4 will also be broadcasting live from Abu Dhabi, both for qualifying and the final grand prix of the 2017 season.
