Vettel opts for Suzie

Thursday, 13 March 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

REUTERS: Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel will be driving ‘Suzie’ around the bend when the season starts in Australia on Sunday.

The 26-year-old German has given a female name to all his Red Bull cars and the team announced his latest choice on their Twitter feed on Tuesday. Vettel will be chasing his 10th successive race victory this weekend as he sets out in search of a fifth consecutive championship. Last year’s RB9 car was dubbed ‘Hungry Heidi’. ‘Suzie’ has plenty of catching up to do, however, with Red Bull struggling to string laps together in pre-season testing while their Mercedes-powered rivals showed impressive reliability. Sunday’s race marks the start of a new turbo era in Formula One, with a 1.6 litre V6 engine and energy recovery systems replacing the old 2.4 litre V8s.