Vettel says 2019 world title target 'clear' The German has taken a lot of heat in the paddock as he and Ferrari failed to secure the crown despite having a competitive car last year.
But Vettel, who appeared for the race of champions event in Mexico last weekend, says they are ready to try again. "The ingredients are there, now it's up to us to do the job," he is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
There have been changes at Ferrari over the winter, with Mattia Binotto taking over as boss and Charles Leclerc replacing Kimi Raikkonen. Vettel said of 2019: "It will be a great challenge. What we want to achieve I think is clear.
"The opponents? Let's see how the first tests go, as at this time of the year everything is hidden. When we see the cars on the track we will know better and at the first race we will know for sure.".
Vettel made obvious mistakes in 2018, but he says the real problem is that the Ferrari was not quite as good as the winning Mercedes. "I think we need a stronger package," he said.
"We certainly had our moments last year when we had strong races, but we also had races which weren't very strong. "I think overall it's the speed that decides and I think more often than not we were lacking a little bit of speed. "But we're working very hard and the motivation is there to do that final step that is still missing," Vettel added.
NEXT NEWS: Daniel Ricciardo spotted eating out at Birraz Ristobar, Mount Hawthorn with Perthonalities.Far from the glitz and glamour of his Monaco home, one of Perth’s favourite sons was spotted enjoying some home comforts on Mount Hawthorn’s cafe strip yesterday.
Daniel Ricciardo lapped up the Formula One off-season with a hearty lunch at Birraz Ristobar yesterday, where he dined with family and other high-profile West Australians.
Restaurant owner Egidio Squillace told thewest. com. au Ricciardo and his family were old friends and had wanted to try his new Italian restaurant before the Renault driver returned to work ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March.
Squillace was coy when asked about his celebrity guest and revealed only that he enjoyed a lunch with other high-profile personalities and family members, while fans gathered on the street outside for a glimpse of the star.
“They want privacy, I’m professional and I wouldn’t let anybody go near him while he was here,” Squillace said. “But he is a very friendly guy, if people do say hello to him he’ll always be friendly. Squillace’s former restaurants, including West Perth eatery Julio’s, were known for being celebrity haunts, enjoyed by international superstars including Lady Gaga, U2 and Beyonce Knowles.
The restaurateur said Ricciardo had been a regular diner at his Italian eateries with his family and “loves his pasta”. “We’ve known each other for a long time. We had a bit of a chat about him and his future. “I don’t see him as a celebrity, I seem him as more of a family friend,” he said.
Duncraig-raised Ricciardo is often seen enjoying WA during the F1 off-season. Two weeks ago, he posted a video of him singing Jubilee Street by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds while driving on the Mitchell Freeway.
Staying strong to his WA roots, he also donated one of his former Red Bull Racing cars to the Motor Museum of WA at Whiteman Park and visited for its grand unveiling two years ago. Ricciardo will start the F1 season with his new team Renault in Melbourne on March 17.
NEXT NEWS:Ricciardo test snub shows Red Bull "afraid" - Renault.Renault found it “quite flattering” that Red Bull did not allow Daniel Ricciardo to test for his 2019 Formula 1 team early because it means its rival is “afraid”.
Ricciardo has left long-time backer Red Bull to join Renault for the 2019 season, but was not given permission to test for the French manufacturerin Abu Dhabi at the end of last year.
He has since visited Renault’s factory as part of his preparations but will not drive on-track until the team tests its new car in Spain next month. com if Ricciardo has already made a tangible contribution, Renault F1 team executive director Budkowski said: “There’s always things that you learn from the interaction with a driver.
“He’s been in the simulator, he’s been with the engineers. It’s difficult when he hasn’t driven the car. “We would have loved him to drive the car in Abu Dhabi but we couldn’t make that happen. “We’re disappointed that we couldn’t get his feedback on last year’s car because it would have been very useful to us.
“The fact it didn’t happen, without pointing fingers, is quite flattering to us because it means other people are afraid of us and don’t want to give us anything that could be a competitive advantage.
Seven-time grand prix winner Ricciardo shocked the F1 paddock last summer when he opted to leave Red Bull for Renault, which only returned to the F1 grid with a works team in 2016 and has a fractious relationship with its former engine customer.
Renault has since risen to fourth in the constructors’ championship and team boss Cyril Abiteboul has previously compared signing Ricciardo to when the previous iteration of the works Renault team had Fernando Alonso on board to lead its progress.
Budkowski said: “He [Ricciardo] is a race winner. He is bringing us an experience that we don’t have in the team today. “He has been working with a top team for a number of years, so he will bring us some understanding in terms of direction and development of the car, of set-up of the car, which is useful learning for us.
“It has been a huge motivation boost for everyone at the team to have someone like Daniel coming, obviously because he is Daniel, the driver and person he is.
“But also a race winner, from a team that is challenging for wins and potentially the championship, believes in our project and joins our organisation at this stage.
“[That] says a lot about the project and says a lot about what we are trying to build here and it all goes together.
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