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Red Bull goes from hunters to hunted
Source: Agencies |
February 2, 2011, Wednesday
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CHAMPION Red Bull unveiled the new RB7 car yesterday that every Formula One team wants to beat, with a sense of expectation and a few jitters.
Germany's Sebastian Vettel, the sport's youngest champion at 23 years old, and Australian teammate Mark Webber pulled the wraps off before the first test session of the year at the Valencia circuit.
Had they produced a pot of paint and daubed a target on the side of the gleaming new beauty, it would have been entirely understandable.
As Vettel told reporters afterwards, the hunters have become the hunted with a focus now on defending the precious spoils - the drivers' and constructors' crowns - they took for the first time last year.
"It will be a tough battle and a long, hard fight," said the German, looking ahead to an unprecedented 20 race season that starts in Bahrain on March 13.
"I think we need to focus again and motivation is not a problem.
"It is a difficult situation we are in now, probably more difficult than we were in last year where we just said 'okay, let's go for the title'," he added.
"This year is a different story. We want to try to defend it but we have to develop from how good we were last year.
"Otherwise we do a step back and the others pass us.
"If we just approach now saying 'okay let's do the same as last year' we would not move forward."
Team principal Christian Horner said the title double last season had settled the Renault-engined team, raised expectations and boosted confidence without arrogance.
"I am confident that over the course of the season we are well equipped," he added.
McLaren, Red Bull's closest rival last year, will not have its new car on track for another 10 days - taking a leaf out of Red Bull's 2010 book.
Until the Woking-based team starts testing, there will be a lingering concern that it could have something special up its sleeve or has detected a loophole to exploit.
Germany's Sebastian Vettel, the sport's youngest champion at 23 years old, and Australian teammate Mark Webber pulled the wraps off before the first test session of the year at the Valencia circuit.
Had they produced a pot of paint and daubed a target on the side of the gleaming new beauty, it would have been entirely understandable.
As Vettel told reporters afterwards, the hunters have become the hunted with a focus now on defending the precious spoils - the drivers' and constructors' crowns - they took for the first time last year.
"It will be a tough battle and a long, hard fight," said the German, looking ahead to an unprecedented 20 race season that starts in Bahrain on March 13.
"I think we need to focus again and motivation is not a problem.
"It is a difficult situation we are in now, probably more difficult than we were in last year where we just said 'okay, let's go for the title'," he added.
"This year is a different story. We want to try to defend it but we have to develop from how good we were last year.
"Otherwise we do a step back and the others pass us.
"If we just approach now saying 'okay let's do the same as last year' we would not move forward."
Team principal Christian Horner said the title double last season had settled the Renault-engined team, raised expectations and boosted confidence without arrogance.
"I am confident that over the course of the season we are well equipped," he added.
McLaren, Red Bull's closest rival last year, will not have its new car on track for another 10 days - taking a leaf out of Red Bull's 2010 book.
Until the Woking-based team starts testing, there will be a lingering concern that it could have something special up its sleeve or has detected a loophole to exploit.
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