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Sebastian Vettel is no longer the main man at Ferrari but the German, a four-times world champion, does not accept that his stock has waned.
Beaten on points, wins, poles and podiums last year by his 22-year-old Monegasque team mate Charles Leclerc, Vettel will starts the new season in Australia next month with the pairing on equal terms.
He sounded riled at the launch of the Italian team's new car in Reggio Emilia on Tuesday night when it was put to him by Reuters that he had lost ground while Leclerc had gained stature.
"I don't see it that way," he said. "I think we were up and up last year, it's not like I had a different car. We both have the same car, and the same chance to race well. I never doubted that last year, I don't think Charles did," added the 32-year-old.
"I disagree with you. I don't see it that way, down and up. It doesn't change anything. We were on equal terms all throughout last year. We are this year as well."
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1/21 F1 2020
The Formula One grid shows just two changes from the Class of 19, meaning there will be a fair few familiar faces returning next season. Here's how the grid lines up.
REUTERS
2/21 Mercedes – Lewis Hamilton (No 44)
Heads into his 14th season in F1 as a newly-crowned six-time world champion and is showing no signs of allowing his stranglehold on the sport to ease. Will once again be the man to beat, but his future could well prove the biggest talking point in 2020.
AFP via Getty Images
3/21 Mercedes – Valtteri Bottas (77)
Bottas comfortably made second place his own in 2019 but he still needs to find an extra gear or two if he is going to really challenge his teammate. Whether or not his divorce affected him mentally throughout the season only he will know, but a more focused and driven Valtteri Bottas could arrive on the grid next season if his distractions are out of his mind.
Getty Images
4/21 Ferrari – Charles Leclerc (16)
Based on results in 2019 the Ferrari No 2 should step up and become the Ferrari No 1, but will that actually happen? Regardless, Leclerc impressed immensely in qualifying last season, taking five pole positions including four in a row, and he finally found himself on the top step of the podium in a sign of things to come.
Getty Images
5/21 Ferrari – Sebastian Vettel (5)
Perhaps the most under-pressure driver in the sport in 2020, Vettel knows another year of failing to meet the grade will almost certainly end his time with Ferrari, particularly with so many good drivers on the market in 2021. Vettel showed signs of the fire within him still burning with his win in Singapore, but much more will be expected from the four-time world champion.
Getty Images
6/21 Red Bull – Max Verstappen (33)
A year wiser and with a car that improved rapidly as the season wore on, Verstappen could prove the biggest challenge to Hamilton and Mercedes in 2020 if Red Bull can find that top level consistency they crave. Verstappen is also out of contract next year and will be as sought-after as Hamilton, and a season-long duel between the two would spice up that uncertainty no end.
Getty Images
7/21 Red Bull – Alexander Albon (23)
Has convinced Red Bull enough in his half a season with the team to bag himself the second seat with the team for next year, or at least for the start of it. Looked a calm head on talented shoulders in 2019 and should have had a deserved podium in Brazil had it not been for Hamilton’s rash overtake attempt, but now he will have to start closing the gap to Verstappen if he is to secure a long-term future.
Getty Images
8/21 McLaren – Carlos Sainz (55)
The ‘best of the rest’ last season will hope to build on the late podium that he secured in Brazil that ended McLaren’s long five-year drought, with aspirations that the British team will be looking up at the top three rather than down over their shoulder.
Getty Images
9/21
Getty Images
10/21
Getty Images
11/21
AFP via Getty Images
12/21
Getty Images
13/21
Getty Images
14/21
EPA
15/21
Getty Images
16/21
REUTERS
17/21
REUTERS
18/21
REUTERS
19/21
Getty Images
20/21
Getty Images
21/21
REUTERS
1/21 F1 2020
The Formula One grid shows just two changes from the Class of 19, meaning there will be a fair few familiar faces returning next season. Here's how the grid lines up.
REUTERS
2/21 Mercedes – Lewis Hamilton (No 44)
Heads into his 14th season in F1 as a newly-crowned six-time world champion and is showing no signs of allowing his stranglehold on the sport to ease. Will once again be the man to beat, but his future could well prove the biggest talking point in 2020.
AFP via Getty Images
3/21 Mercedes – Valtteri Bottas (77)
Bottas comfortably made second place his own in 2019 but he still needs to find an extra gear or two if he is going to really challenge his teammate. Whether or not his divorce affected him mentally throughout the season only he will know, but a more focused and driven Valtteri Bottas could arrive on the grid next season if his distractions are out of his mind.
Getty Images
4/21 Ferrari – Charles Leclerc (16)
Based on results in 2019 the Ferrari No 2 should step up and become the Ferrari No 1, but will that actually happen? Regardless, Leclerc impressed immensely in qualifying last season, taking five pole positions including four in a row, and he finally found himself on the top step of the podium in a sign of things to come.
Getty Images
5/21 Ferrari – Sebastian Vettel (5)
Perhaps the most under-pressure driver in the sport in 2020, Vettel knows another year of failing to meet the grade will almost certainly end his time with Ferrari, particularly with so many good drivers on the market in 2021. Vettel showed signs of the fire within him still burning with his win in Singapore, but much more will be expected from the four-time world champion.
Getty Images
6/21 Red Bull – Max Verstappen (33)
A year wiser and with a car that improved rapidly as the season wore on, Verstappen could prove the biggest challenge to Hamilton and Mercedes in 2020 if Red Bull can find that top level consistency they crave. Verstappen is also out of contract next year and will be as sought-after as Hamilton, and a season-long duel between the two would spice up that uncertainty no end.
Getty Images
7/21 Red Bull – Alexander Albon (23)
Has convinced Red Bull enough in his half a season with the team to bag himself the second seat with the team for next year, or at least for the start of it. Looked a calm head on talented shoulders in 2019 and should have had a deserved podium in Brazil had it not been for Hamilton’s rash overtake attempt, but now he will have to start closing the gap to Verstappen if he is to secure a long-term future.
Getty Images
8/21 McLaren – Carlos Sainz (55)
The ‘best of the rest’ last season will hope to build on the late podium that he secured in Brazil that ended McLaren’s long five-year drought, with aspirations that the British team will be looking up at the top three rather than down over their shoulder.
Getty Images
9/21
Getty Images
10/21
Getty Images
11/21
AFP via Getty Images
12/21
Getty Images
13/21
Getty Images
14/21
EPA
15/21
Getty Images
16/21
REUTERS
17/21
REUTERS
18/21
REUTERS
19/21
Getty Images
20/21
Getty Images
21/21
REUTERS
The difference is that last year team principal Mattia Binotto made clear at pre-season testing that Vettel, as the team's experienced driver, would be favoured as the main championship contender.
That is no longer the case, with Binotto stating that they would start on equal terms from the opening race in Melbourne.
"We said (last year) that Seb would have been first driver and Charles second. I think after a year, and that both have proved they can both fight for the best result, they will be on the same level," he said on Tuesday.
Leclerc has a new contract that ties him to Ferrari until the end of 2024, and is the face of the future, whereas Vettel is out of contract at the end of the year.
Media speculation continues to suggest Ferrari are interested in Mercedes' six-times world champion Lewis Hamilton as a possible replacement.
Even if Ferrari say Vettel remains their number one choice to partner Leclerc in 2021, with a strong logic to continuity in the light of the coming rules revolution, he cannot afford another year like 2019.
The German made some glaring mistakes and appeared ill at ease in the car and with its handling.
He denied on Tuesday, however, that he felt more stress going into the new campaign -- or that Ferrari's apparent vote of confidence had eased matters.
"At some point you have to sort out what's going on in the future but I think we will have enough time to do so. So I'm not taking any extra stress or pressure," he said.
"I feel good, confident. Last year has been good for me in the sense of learning a lot of things and understanding things. Certainly there are things I can do better and I'm sure that I will do better this year.
"I'm not stressed, but certainly ambitious to prove it to myself."
PA