Fired-up Ferrari finding reasons for optimism

LONDON - Sebastian Vettel's task with Ferrari this season is as easy to say as it is hard to achieve: bring the Formula One world championship back to Maranello and deny Mercedes a fifth in a row.

The oldest, most glamorous and successful team on the starting grid came close last year, with their German driver leading through the opening 12 rounds from Melbourne until Monza before the challenge unravelled.

But 2018 marks a decade since the Italians last won a championship, their 16th constructors' crown in 2008, and the pressure - always intense even at the best of times - has been ratcheting up.