'I'm still good enough for fifth title'

(GMM) Sebastian Vettel insists he is “still good enough” not only to win more races in Formula 1, but also a fifth drivers’ world championship.

As the 33-year-old moves to Aston Martin after losing his Ferrari seat for 2021, many believe Vettel is clearly past his prime in Formula 1.

But although the German struggled in Bahrain testing, his countryman Timo Glock says he has noticed a clear change in Vettel since the end of last season.

“At least he seems to have found his good mood again,” former F1 driver Glock told the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper.

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Glock also suspects F1 fans will “see the Vettel finger” again in the future.

Vettel, the winner of 53 grands prix, agrees with that assessment.

“I’m still good enough to win races and go for the championship – provided the package is right,” the quadruple world champion told Sport Bild.

“Our team narrowly missed third place in the team classification last year. I hope we are as strong or even stronger in 2021.”

However, Aston Martin officials are playing down expectations ahead of this weekend’s season opener, but Vettel insisted: “What matters to me is my expectation.

“My expectations of myself are very high and I want to meet them.”

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher expects it may take some time for Vettel to get up to speed at his new team.

“I think he will have a great season, but due to the problems in the test, we may not see that at the season opener,” he told Sport.

“Seb is a person who needs optimal preparation.”