Sebastian Vettel aims to rebound from his Canadian mishap at the European Formula One Grand Prix but the world champion will face stiff resistance again from the McLaren camp.
In addition, Ferrari star Fernando Alonso wants to shake off recent disappointments in front of a Spanish home crowd on the 5.149-kilometres street circuit.
The Red Bull driver Vattel has won five of the seven races contested this season and finished second in the other two for a runaway championship lead.
He is 60 points clear of Jenson Button, but the McLaren driver and his team got a big boost when Button managed to overtake Vettel for victory in the final lap of a spectacular Canadian race after a rare error by the German.
“We’ve proved we can challenge and beat Sebastian, and we know we can fight for this world championship,” said Button on the McLaren website.
“I wouldn’t say that winning in Montreal has given me extra motivation, because I was already totally committed, but I think it will help to sharpen the focus and conviction of everyone in the team.” Vettel readily admitted to a mistake against the charging Button but at the same time was happy that he “got away with second” in a turbulent race.
After all, the former world champions Alonso and Lewis Hamilton never saw the finish line as they slipped further behind in the championships, trailing Vettel by 92 and 76 points, respectively.
Hamilton, whose form has dipped after winning the Turkish race, had to dismiss a Red Bull link after meeting with their team principal Christian Horner in Canada, and now hopes for better times in Valencia.
