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Red Bull unveil 2012 car

02/06/2012 08:52:45 PM

World champion Sebastian Vettel described the new Red Bull car as 'extremely comfortable' at its launch on Monday.

The RB8, to be driven by Vettel and Australia's Mark Webber, was hailed as a car with the extra dimension of improved reliability at its unveiling in Milton Keynes.

"The first time I jumped into the car for the seat fit - checking the position, checking your pedals, see if everything works - I think it was the same for Mark and myself, we felt extremely comfortable," the German said.

"Everything went well and we got our comfortable position, fairly quickly. The RB8 was pretty straightforward, so we hope it continues that way."

The 24-year-old, who has won two successive championships, says his chances of becoming the youngest man to win three successive titles will be difficult in the coming season.

"It would be wrong to go into this season and expect 2011 to happen again, as in getting into the lead early and having a very big gap to other competitors. I think it will be very, very tight this year."

Red Bull dominated last season and topped the constructors' championship with 650 points, 153 points clear of nearest rivals McLaren.

Rival outfit Sauber also unveiled their car on Monday, ahead of the season opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 18.

At their car launch at Jerez in southern Spain, Sauber's trio of drivers, Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez revealed they will drive the C31.

The Swiss-based team are still chasing a major sponsor for the forthcoming season, with major parts of the car exterior still blank.

They will also have to start in March without technical director James Key, who resigned on Friday.

Sauber chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn said of Key's departure: "He joined us during a handover period from a factory team to a private team.

"His contribution was very valuable, but we now have a structure, long term, that is the right one going forward."

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

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