Vettel: Mercedes still favorite despite Melbourne win

Sebastian Vettel has attempted to play down expectations surrounding Ferrari following his victory at the Australian Grand Prix, naming Mercedes as favorite in China this weekend.

The German qualified second in Melbourne and then shadowed polesitter Lewis Hamilton throughout the first stint before jumping the Mercedes at the pit stops to win the opening race of the season. With Ferrari having looked quick throughout pre-season testing and then delivering on that potential in Australia, Vettel heads to China as one of the favorites but he believes Mercedes remains the team to beat.

"Well, I think Mercedes has to be still the favorite," Vettel said. "Obviously we had a very strong first race, but I think at least the way we look at it inside the team, we really go race by race. We know we have a good package, which puts us in a strong place, but there's lots of things we need to do to keep up with them and keep the position that we are in now to fight for good races."

Vettel admits he is wary of increased expectancy after such a strong start to the season, saying Ferrari should not be judged just based on its performance in Melbourne.

"Well, it wasn't that bad last year," Vettel said when asked if he is relieved to have a competitive car after a difficult 2016. "It was not the best year we had, but still I think we had a decent amount of podiums. We had races where things were not going our way, but that's how it goes sometimes.

"Maybe my memory is wrong, but I remember it better than what people make out of it now. For sure it wasn't the season that we wanted to have, so after one race, it's easy to say that this year is better than last year, but it's only one race. It's the start of the season.

"But for sure, a lot of things have changed since last year – the team has evolved. I think we generally are in a much better position. People are more comfortable throughout the whole team. I think the work that is going in is a lot more targeted and overall I think we're more confident with the way we work now. Hopefully we can keep up that trend to show that on the track."

With Ferrari having failed to win a race in 2016, the win in Australia was its first for 17 months and the four-time world champion noted a boost in the atmosphere back at the factory as a result.

"I think for the entire team, it was a great weekend, including myself. I think the day was very special – the fans in Melbourne, the reception there was incredible. I think for everyone back in Italy in Maranello, it was great to get a little bit of a reward after such a long winter, a lot of hard work that went into the new car.

"When I went back to the factory, people were generally very happy and motivated to push even harder, which obviously is what we need. It's just the first race. It doesn't mean much, but for sure it's the best way to start off."