MARINA BAY, Singapore -- Last year's Singapore Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel believes the odds are stacked against a repeat result this weekend, saying Mercedes remain the favourites for victory.
Vettel's win 12 months still stands as Ferrari's most recent victory in F1 and came on a weekend when Mercedes experienced an unusual dip in form. Since then Ferrari has dropped into a battle for second place in the constructors' championship with Red Bull, while Mercedes has not suffered the same problems at any other circuit.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes the result 12 months ago means his team is not the favourite to win in Singapore on Sunday, but Vettel disagrees.
"This track was very good for us last year and I think in general we improved the car from last year so it should be a raceable track for us again," he said. "It's difficult to know exactly [where we will be] but in general you have to put Mercedes as the favourite -- even though they had a very difficult time here last time, there is no guarantee that it will happen again.
"If there is trouble [for Mercedes] then I think everybody else is happy to take advantage, but looking at it ahead of the race they are the favourites. For tyres and strategy in general, it depends what happens in the race with safety cars etcetera. In qualifying it's clear that you will try to go as far as you can, but the race you depend on what tyres you have left and also on the safety car."
But Vettel says his 12-month victory drought has not changed his approach to racing.
"In the end I'm here to win and that might sound optimistic, but there is always a chance," he said. "You never know what happens, maybe you start fifth and the first four guys crash at the first corner and you are handed a chance. It's not highly likely, but it's possible.
"Otherwise it would be, as a matter of fact, quite boring to sit here on Thursday and talk about a race where the result is already decided. It's part of the sport and the race for us inside the car and for the people watching that we don't know what's going to happen."