SHREYASCONF1

Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari needs to focus on winning the 2016 Formula 1 world championship, rather than just targeting victory in the Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari chairman, Sergio Marchionne, said earlier this month that he expected the Scuderia to win “right away” to start a title scrap with Mercedes.

He said: “Winning in Australia would be fantastic, but our goal is to be at the top at the end of the season.

“We don’t need our president to tell us we must win in Australia, as that is something we should already know. We all want that and we know that the gap with Mercedes last season was large before we closed it.

“The development of the new car continues and we will certainly try to win in Melbourne, or earn as many points as possible. Given there are 21 races, if someone asked me whether I would like to win right away or if I would rather win the title, well there is no comparison.”

Vettel, who topped the times at the Pirelli wet weather tyre test earlier this week, explained that before the first official F1 test begins in Barcelona on 22 February, he would be concentrating on simulator work and fitness training.

He said: “I plan on going to Maranello a few times to work with the simulation program in order to be ready. I must also improve my physical conditioning, especially after the Christmas period.”

He said: “It was enjoyable, but obviously testing out so many different tyres makes it difficult to say which was the best.”

“There was a better feeling with some of the tyres on certain parts of the track, while others performed better in other areas. It was a useful day and the results appear to be good.”