Sebastian Vettel is not expecting a repeat of his Singapore victory at the Russian Grand Prix this weekend, despite Mercedes' concerns that Sochi could offer up a similar result.
Vettel outpaced Mercedes all weekend in Singapore to take his third -- and most convincing -- victory of the season. Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda voiced concerns that the return of the two softest tyres in Pirelli's range on the low-grip tarmac of the Sochi Autodrom could result in a repeat of his team's problems, but Vettel is not convinced.
"I think it will be quite different," he said. "Obviously it is a completely different track and other than the tyre compounds I don't think there are many similarities. But if the result is the same I won't mind.
"It's a long way to go because it's Thursday and first of all we focus on Friday and try to get the car in the window and go from there. I think the weather will also play a big role, because maybe tomorrow we won't use the soft and super-soft at all if it rains. We will see.
"Anyway, it will be a difficult weekend to get everything right, and last year it was a difficult circuit to get it together and the gaps between the cars were fairly big because some people were struggling more than usual. As I said, you need to get everything right and that is what we try to focus on. I know that is not the exciting answer you were hoping for, but it's the truth.
"I think the target is to do better than last year. This year I think we have a competitive car and a competitive package, so it would be nice to be on the podium at the end of the race."
Vettel said one of Ferrari's main targets is to use the final five races to learn about how best to improve the car over the winter.
"I certainly hope that we are in a better position next year with a more competitive car, but we are still in 2015 and there are still some races where we can do well and learn for next year. Of course, the target is to ultimately fight for the championship. This is not a secret, it is very clear and this is where we want to go."