Vettel: Title wait has gone too long

Sebastian Vettel says he has waited "too long" without adding to his four world titles. The Ferrari star was back in the fight at the front last season, only for a capitulation late in the campaign to hand the title to Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari made great strides amid fresh regulation changes before the start of last season, with Vettel and Hamilton pitched in direct title competition for perhaps the first time in their stellar careers.

The title looked to be Vettel's until a first-lap accident in Singapore was followed by further mishaps in Malaysia and Japan, handing the initiative to Hamilton.

And the former Red Bull driver is more determined than ever, as he and Hamilton both seek a fifth title in 2018.

"It is inevitable that everyone gets older, but it is always too long if the wait for a title is more than one year," he said.

"I want to make sure that I can bring that championship back to Maranello. That is our big ambition and that is our target.

"Mercedes are the favourites, but if we can be close, very close, and closer than last year, that will be great.

"It is a long year. It is only March now, but we will keep going until the end of November when the season ends."

Pre-season testing has offered few clues about the year ahead, due to extreme wintry conditions in Barcelona.

Vettel explained: "It has been a difficult week with cool conditions but it affects everyone.

"It is tricky when everybody is so excited because you have a new car but you are unable to tick all the boxes and find the answers to all the questions you have.

"Anything is possible this year, but I don't know the answers yet.

"So far, things have looked OK but there has been limited running for everyone so it is difficult to judge and compare to the others."