Australian Grand Prix: Mark Webber tips four-time world champ and old foe Sebastian Vettel to come out fighting
Aussie had a strained relationship with the German during their four years at Red Bull
MARK WEBBER has tipped his old enemy Sebastian Vettel to come out fighting in 2017.
The Aussie had an incendiary relationship with the German during their four years as Red Bull Racing.
Webber says Vettel was left hurting after Ferrari cocked-up his chances of challenging for podiums last season.
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Vettel turned the airwaves blue on a number of occasions and famously delivered an F-word rant at Race Director Charlie Whiting in Mexico.
Webber says Vettel would use those outbursts as motivation, and after a strong preseason in testing, thinks Ferrari could take the battle to Mercedes.
Webber said: "Ferrari can do it providing they keep their composure on raceday.
"They are pretty good when the grandstands are empty, we need to have them operating when the grandstands are full.
"We need to have the correct strategy calls. The whole Red Bull thing in Monaco where Daniel was left without tyres, they should have been in red, it was a classic Ferrari moment.
"They are the things Ferrari need to resolve because given all of Sebastian's learning prowess and the work he went through at Milton Keynes in building the team, that could be a big plus for Ferrari this year.
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"All the pain they went through in 2016 with all those howlers, they shot themselves in the foot so many times.
"Sebastian will learn from those moments last season where he was vocal over the team's radio.
"It is from that German culture where you believe that if you have done enough, then the expected result should happen.
"But when it doesn't then the scenario happens where it is out of his control and he has the meltdowns.
"That leads to challenging situations that fuel themselves in to even more dramatic problems.
"However, if he is focused, and with the reliability they are showing, he can be a real threat this year.
"Those two guys can rack up a lot of points early in the season, providing the team does not stuff it up."