Vettel faces difficult F1 season: "It will be a long year"

Sebastian Vettel is taking a moderately positive approach to the second winter test in Bahrain. He acknowledges that there is still a lot of work to do, but that this is the same for all teams and drivers. He predicts "a long year," in which there is still a lot to learn.

During testing in Barcelona, a number of Formula 1 teams struggled with stability issues, including the Aston Martin team. According to Vettel, there is still a lot of work to be done. "The top is not yet in sight," he says in conversation with Speedweek.com.

Vettel predicts 'a long year'

As a result, he sees mainly a learning year ahead. "I think it will be a long year and we still have a lot to learn about the new cars," says the four-time world champion. He does acknowledge, however, that this is the same for all teams. "In that respect we are all in the same boat," he adds.

The 34-year-old Heppenheimer was surprised by the big differences between the teams, though, given the stricter technical regulations introduced by the FIA. "I expected the cars to be similar, but it's nice that the teams have chosen different paths," he says of the many different designs.

However, it remains to be seen which design will bear the most fruit. In that respect, Vettel has a clear wish: "I hope that all solutions are good," says the Aston Martin driver, who hopes for smaller performance differences between the teams.