• Canadian Grand Prix

Vettel eyes improved strategy

Sebastian Vettel says that tyres will make the Canadian Grand Prix a difficult weekend for everyone © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Canadian Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Sebastian Vettel

• Teams:
• Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel says he is "quite confident" ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, and that Red Bull has learnt from last year's strategic errors.

Vettel and team-mate Mark Webber struggled with tyre degredation last year as they finished fourth and fifth respectively, behind a McLaren one-two and Fernando Alonso. Vettel said the final result wasn't a reflection of Red Bull's pace around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and that it should be competitive this year.

"I'm quite confident," Vettel said. "Last year, we had a good car here but were not on the podium. We started the race on a different strategy that turned out not to work, which was a surprise for us at the time. We learned our lesson. This year, we will see how the tyres work and how long they last, but in terms of pace we should be okay."

Vettel did admit that the circuit characteristics did not play in to the hands of the RB7, but said that Red Bull had brought some minor upgrades that may help it stay ahead of the field.

"We know that long straights are not always in our favour. Our car is very good in fast corners, but we don't have any of those around here. So we will see. We have been working hard and have brought some new bits here. They are not massive, but little steps, and we will see tomorrow where we are and how we are working the tyres.

"It's difficult to say on paper that we should be first, second, third... it can work out differently. But this is one of the most difficult weekends here because the track is very different and the asphalt is very smooth, so tyres will be important."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.