DPA/Berlin
New Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel has admitted he is not expecting immediate success with their 2015 Formula One car, which was unveiled in a video presentation yesterday.
The SF15-T, to be driven by four-times world champion Vettel and teammate Kimi Raikkonen, features a distinctive long flat nose and revised sidepods but the German believes the Italians would be content with just one win this season after a woeful 2014.
“I think we would be happy but of course we would be happier if we win more. As I said you have to be realistic,” Vettel, who quit Red Bull at the end of last season to join Ferrari, told the team’s website.
“There is a lot of change going on, new people in new positions - including myself - so it always takes a bit of time to settle in until you really start to make proper progress.
“I am confident we are going in the right direction but it would be wrong to immediately expect a lot. We need to remember we are coming from a 2014 season where there was one team very dominant, so it will be very difficult to arrive there from the beginning.”
The car is in the Italian team’s customary red but features black markings on the sides and rear.
Ferrari, under new team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, will test the car for the first time tomorrow at pre-season testing in Jerez, southern Spain, with the first race in Australia on March 15.
Finn Raikkonen, the last driver to win the world championship for Ferrari in 2007, reflected on their 2014 struggles.
“Sometimes you have years that go like that, everything seems to be a bit difficult,” he said. “We understood a lot of things and hopefully this year we can turn things around, as a team be strong, and get more where we should be little by little.”
Ferrari’s last race victory goes back to May 2013 through Fernando Alonso, who left the team at the end of last season to join McLaren.
They finished last season fourth in the constructor standings as Mercedes and world champion Lewis Hamilton ran away with the championship.
nFormula One minnows Sauber outlined their ambitions for the upcoming season yesterday - to win some points which is something they failed to do in 2014.
An all new driver line-up - Swede Marcus Ericsson and F1 rookie Brazilian Felipe Nasr - take over from Adrian Sutil and Esteban Guttierez, the Mexican who has moved to Ferrari as a test driver.
Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn, in an interview on Sauber’s official website, commented: “2014 was a very disappointing year.
“However, this is in the past, and we now focus on what comes next. We have learnt our lessons and are confident for the new season.
“We have to improve, and be able to fight for championship points.”
Sauber struggled to cope with the dramatically revised technical landscape last term, and hope that 2015 will prove less of a headache for their mechanics.
Their new C34 car will be put through its paces in the first series of pre-season testing starting at the Spanish circuit of Jerez from Sunday.
“Some components are still from the Sauber C33 and will be successively replaced by new parts,” said chief designer Eric Gandelin.
He added: “We will use the time up to Melbourne to ensure we’re as competitive as possible when we line up on the grid for the season opener.”
Ericsson, who moved from Caterham, feels he is in the “perfect environment” at Sauber to develop as a F1 driver.
On the team’s objectives he said: ‘Formula One it is difficult to have precise targets, as it depends on the overall package. It is clear that we want to be fighting for points.”
Nasr, who gets his shot in the big time after evolving as a test driver for Williams, said: “In my rookie season there is a lot to learn, and especially as I have not yet driven on some circuits yet.”
Drivers Kimi Raikkonen (L) of Finland and Sebastian Vettel of Germany pose with Ferrari’s new car in Maranello, Italy.
