Sebastian Vettel aims for four in a row as Red Bull launch 'evolutionary car'

Ref:A00079

Published: 4 February 2013

HAVING dominated the last three seasons, Sebastian Vettel is ready to win a fourth straight title.

"We had a very strong finish last season, but it was hard as the season was so long - it was important for me to enjoy being home," the 25-year-old youngest triple world champion said. "Pretty soon though I started training again, preparing for the new season and I'm very excited because this is the first time I've seen the car in one piece."

"I've seen little bits, but it looks very nice, so now we'll get to see if it works as expected. I'm excited to get going again, to get back in the car, start testing and then go racing. Then, we'll finally find out where we are."

Vettel wins race

The Red Bull RB9, which looks very similar to last year's double-championship winning challenger and matched McLaren by winning seven races and starting from pole on eight occasions has had few aerodynamic refinements due to the rules largely remaining the same.

Vettel Red Bull

Adrian Newey. The master of Red Bull's success, explained the off-season has been far from relaxed. "It's a tribute to all the hard work of the guys over the winter because we had a very tight championship battle last year," he said.

Red Bull Vettel

But if Vettel thinks he is in for an easy ride, he could be in for a shock, as Ferrari, Lotus and McLaren are all determined to win while underdog Sauber have created a car which former driver Sergio Perez described as a 'race winning car' with 'revolutionary' side pods 15 inches thinner than last year's model.

Speaking on the challenges of creating this year's RB9, Newey explained: "It was difficult trying to continue development of last year's car while also doing research into the RB9. Obviously it worked for us, but it gave us a very tight timeframe to design and manufacture this car."

Vettel

Going into his seventh season, second-fiddle Webber said he could not have envisaged being with the team for so long or being in a position to win races and championships. "Continuity is not always easy to achieve in this sport," he said. "But I think the way we keep people excited and motivated here is important. It's quite a small operation here, but obviously we're big on ambition and desire and that makes us perform very well. I've really enjoyed the years I've had here so far and I can't wait to get going this season."

When he won his last Formula One World Championship in 2004, Michael Schumacher was in his mid-30s. With a decade to go before Vettel reaches those veteran heights, it would seem likely that he can surpass the seven-time world champion.

Meanwhile Red Bull is quickly shaking up the history books and is already halfway to matching the 'legendary' success of Team Lotus. A constructors win this year will place them level with Brabham on the all-time list of the greatest teams.