Sebastian Vettel looks ahead to new F1 season
Sebastian Vettel is raring to go as the countdown to the 2012 Formula One season gets underway.
The back-to-back champion expects that Red Bull will face more of a challenge this year but admits he cannot wait to get back out onto the track.
Commenting on being back behind the wheel as the teams test their news cars, he said: "It feels good - believe me, it's about time that we go racing again. It's like being home again."
Vettel secured the crown with a number of races to spare last year, but with the addition of new teams, three of which will carry the same Renault RS27 engine has his red Bull car, he is taking nothing for granted.
"It is definitely too early to say anything. When you go out at the right time, with the right tyres and low fuel you can set a good time. My guess is that at the next test in Barcelona we will see what the other cars are made of," he explained.
Lotus, one of the teams powered by the RS27, has performed well in testing with Kimi Raikkonen behind the wheel.
However, Vettel, while not talking down the Finn, has warned against reading too much into testing times.
"You cannot go into a season on staged test lap times. I think that teams that are able to do a lot of mileage without issues will be in good shape," he commented.
"Lotus look pretty good from what I've seen. They've been fast and showed a consistently good performance. Ferrari and McLaren are the big question marks - and maybe so are we."
The F1 season gets underway at the Albert park circuit in Melbourne, Australia, on March 18th and Vettel will be looking to pick up where he left off last year.
Posted by Louise Clark