Sebastian Vettel completed 188 laps in the SF71H today, his last day in the Ferrari ahead of the season opener in Melbourne in two weeks’ time. The Prancing Horse set the fastest time of the test so far of 1.17.182, shod with pink Hypersoft tyres, but Vettel was quick to play down the significance of the lap time itself.
“It’s just a time, there were a lot of times. What’s important is that the car is working. In the whole day we did nearly 200 laps, so that was good. Other than that, the conditions today were a bit better than yesterday. It’s always difficult to compare, but it matters in a couple of weeks’ time. That’s when it’s serious.”
Vettel completed a race simulation and was satisfied with the way that had gone.
“We lost a bit of time last week with the conditions, so setting up the car was not straightforward, but I think we made some progress understanding the car a little bit better this week. Obviously, I got a lot of laps in, which always helps to read the car.”
And is Sebastian ready for the new season physically?
“Not now, I need a break!” he joked. “A lot of laps. We always hope for more. I think this is the same for everyone, especially with the first week losing time. All in all, I think it was good, with the days that I had.”
“For now, the important thing is that we know our car is working the way we want and the way we expect, so let’s see when we get there. Also, it’s always difficult to know nowadays that there are so many variables. There used to be only tyres and fuel, now there’s energy, modes and whatever.”