Formula 1 champion and former Red Bull golden child Sebastian Vettel starts his tenure driving for Ferrari this season, one that both team and driver hope will bring more success than they’ve seen last year. Fans are sure to have many questions, and Vettel took the time to sit down and answer a few. In lieu of just sitting in front of a camera, Vettel fields the questions in a setting more befitting a Ferrari F1 driver: behind the wheel of a Ferrari FXX K.
The Sexy, face-meltingly fast Ferrari doesn’t get much screen time, but we do get to hear a bit of the 6.2-liter V12 rumble and roar in the background. This naturally aspirated engine cranks out 848 horsepower on its own, coupling with a hybrid system derived from the KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) found in its F1 racers. That brings the total power output to 1,036, which is, y’know, a lot.
As for Vettel, he answers questions posited to him about his lack of social media presence, the progression of his Italian, and if he’ll remember to go to the right pit garage after being with Red Bull for so long. He jokingly replies that all the bright red Ferrari branding will help him avoid such a gaffe, but it’s a more valid question than he may realize. Current Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton pulled this move in 2013 when he drove into the McLaren pit after he left the team that year.
Ferrari’s Formula 1 team is in desperate need of revitalization. Vettel himself had a less than stellar 2014: his four-time win streak came to an abrupt end thanks to a dominating performance by Mercedes while his new number two driver, Daniel Ricciardo, completely upstaged him with several victories as Vettel languished in the middle of the pack. With the new season bringing tweaks to some of last year’s unfavorable regulations (good riddance, double point finale and standing restarts), as well as a significant shuffling of top drivers, 2015 should be quite an exciting spectacle.
