F1: Ferrari elements in place for rebound - Vettel

As Ferrari teammates Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikonnen get set to take their 2016 SF16-Hs around Daytona International Speedway's high-banked oval during the annual Ferrari Finali Mondiali, both drivers candidly admitted their disappointment with results from the just-concluded season.

"It's a shame to admit that we didn't reach our goals," said Vettel. "We had very high expectations at the start of the season, but we have to find some positives and we will be stronger because of it."

Related Stories

Raikonnen echoed Vettel's sentiments, adding, "We have all the elements we need to improve, so it will be up to us to take advantage of it."

Also on hand were Fiat Group Chairman and Ferrari President, Sergio Marchionne and F1 Team Principal, Maurizio Arrivabene. Marchione stated declaratively that the gap to Mercedes and as it turned out, Red Bull Racing, came down to one thing.

"Over the course of the year, and the past seasons, our deficiency to Mercedes and Red Bull hasn't been in the power unit but in aero," he said. "I believe that we have the people in place now to address that going forward."

Arrivabene confirmed that the 2017 structural reorganization has been in place since August of this year, and that they have been focused on the upcoming season since then.

With new car regulations on the way, both Vettel and Raikonnen appeared optimistic that the new regulations would be faster than the current spec; however, they admitted that there are many unknowns until the new, wider Pirelli tires are used on a 2017 chassis with the updated aero. According to Vettel, testing of the new rubber revealed an improvement in the consistency of the degradation and better overall feeling of grip, but cautioned that it's all relative to the new chassis and other developments.

On the topic of new technology, Raikonnen, ever the realist, stated that his job is to drive whatever he's given, irrespective of the technology. Vettel, on the other hand, was more willing to share his personal feeling on the subject. When asked if he would prefer a simpler racecar, his answer was unequivocal.

"If by simpler we are talking about big V12 engines, then yes I'm all for it," he said with a large smile. "But, that is not where the sport is currently. I think it's easy from the outside to think that with all the technology, that it's very controlled. And, if we look at other sports, the same could also be true. The reality is that driving these cars fast is a big challenge and it is still all up to the drivers. The technology has made the cars much faster than in the past, so there's a lot going on (behind the wheel)."

On this point Raikonnen agrees.

"The technology hasn't really changed what we need we to do as drivers. It's just different procedures that we need to do," added the 2007 world champion.

Despite this event being a celebration of all things Ferrari, it was unavoidable that the topic of a driver from another team would be front and center. Newly crowned world champion Nico Rosberg's shocking retirement was fresh on everyone's mind. What's clear is that not a one begrudged his decision and perhaps it was Arrivabene who summed it up best.

"With all of the technology and the pressure of this sport, we sometimes forget that we are human and you have to respect that Nico followed his heart," said Arrivabene.