Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari are keen to stop Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in the championship in Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.
Hamilton has won the last two races this season to move 17 points ahead of his rival Vettel despite trailing by the same amount after the German won the first two.
However, the Scuderia were very strong and had signed a prestigious double at Monaco GP, with Vettel ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen last year.
“We are coming here because we want to won, not because we must win. That for me is a big difference.” Vettel said.
“We want to win. I think it will be incredibly close. I think Red Bull should be stronger here, especially on Saturday so we will see. It’s good if you come here and know that you are in the mix. We will try to make the difference.” Vettel added.
The reigning world champion Hamilton, seeking a third victory at Monaco Circuit and believes the team have learnt from the issues that hit him last year.
The four-time British world champion was six points behind Vettel last year before the Monaco meeting. This did not prevent him from being crowned at the end of the season.
In Monaco, the race will start even more than elsewhere during qualifying, as overtaking is rare. It is in the Principality that the cars will use for the first time the brand new tyres Pirelli hyper-tender. More efficient than ultra-soft but accelerated wear, they should allow to setting a new lap record.
The weather factor is also more important than elsewhere in Monaco, and the suspense is expected to be complete because, for the moment, a shower is expected shortly before the race.
“We definitely learnt a lot from last year and we’re confident with our preparation, it’s definitely been better than ever before,” Hamilton said.
“Ferrari were very strong here last year but, for whatever reason, Red Bull didn’t get it together but maybe this weekend it will. I do anticipate it’s going to be difficult weekend but not one that’s impossible.
“It’s a lot closer and we may not have the pace of the others but we will find out tomorrow. I’m excited for that challenge and if you look at last year there were overcuts and undercuts so anything is still possible.” Hamilton added
