WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Facing the unseasonably chilly weather in Austin of Texas, Ferrari drivers were hoping that the frigid temperatures boded well for their United States Grand Prix weekend after the team dominated in similar conditions during Barcelona pre-season testing.
"We were very strong in Barcelona during winter testing," Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc said on Thursday. "It's a long time ago but, for us, it doesn't change. I believe we should be strong. To know how much, we'll only see on Saturday and Sunday, but pretty confident."
Asked whether a repeat of Kimi Raikkonen's sensational 2018 win for Ferrari at the US Grand Prix was possible this weekend, another driver Sebastian Vettel replied: "I hope so. It's not an easy track to get everything right. A high speed section to start with, a very slow one in the middle and a sort of medium speed section at the end. Bit of everything that you need, which is why I think it's important to feel well in the car. Also how the track comes towards us. We have a strong car, a very efficient car, but we'll see."
Ferrari won the first three races after the summer break, in Belgium, Italy and Singapore, before Mercedes appeared to retake the advantage, winning the following three in Russia, Japan and Mexico last week. Vettel admitted that while the Ferrari's one-lap pace has been strong, the race pace was still an area he'd like to see improvements in.
"There's still some work to do, but these race pace weaknesses we've been facing all year. We've closed the gap, but in the race there's still a bit of a gap," he said.
