Sebastian Vettel believes Ferrari has the potential to get closer to Mercedes this year but says it is too early to make predictions ahead of the first race of the season in Melbourne.
Vettel was back in action on Tuesday at Pirelli's wet tyre test, driving last year's Ferrari to the fastest time of the week at Paul Ricard. Testing with 2016 cars begins on February 22 and Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has already said his outfit "wants to be the team to beat" at the first race in Australia.
"We don't need our president to tell us we must win in Australia, as that is something we should already know," Sebastian Vettel told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We all want that and we know that the gap with Mercedes last season was large before we closed it. Something has changed and we will see how things are after testing, but we shouldn't make proclamations at this time.
"The development of the new car continues and we will certainly try to win in Melbourne, or earn as many points as possible. Given there are 21 races, if someone asked me whether I would like to win right away or if I would rather win the title, well there is no comparison."
Vettel said he already knows what the 2016 Ferrari will look like and is eager to return to the factory in the coming month to work on its development.
"I plan on going to Maranello a few times to work with the simulation programme in order to be ready. I must also improve my physical conditioning, especially after the Christmas period!"