Mercedes Made F1 Less Exciting, Says Vettel

Sebastian Vettel claims the dominance of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes over the past two seasons has driven fans away from Formula One.

Vettel won four consecutive world titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, but even in the squad's most dominant campaign other teams shared six victories from the 19 races.

In contrast, just six of the last 38 races have been won by a team other than Mercedes.

The German also accused F1's current regulations for alienating fans, in particular the lack of noise generated by the new engines.

"The dominance of Mercedes in the past two years took away a lot of excitement for the fans," Vettel said in a Q&A on his website.

"The new rules focus too much on details. Today the car plays an important role, like it did in the past, but we shouldn't get lost in overcomplicated rules.

"Our audience has to be able to identify with our cars again. At the moment F1 is just too complex and we're lacking sound.

"I think we have to be careful not to lose the roots of motor racing and I certainly hope the cars of the future will be more within their grasp."

Vettel ended Ferrari's victory drought with three wins in 2015 and another step forward is expected from the Scuderia this season. Their 2016 car will be launched on Friday before making its debut at the first pre-season test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.

The first Barcelona test starts on Monday 22 February and the Sky Sports F1 Digital team will be providing live commentary from dawn until dusk on all four days of both Barcelona tests.

Sky Sports News HQ will also deliver live updates trackside.