Vettel and team-mate Mark Webber today unveiled the RB7 in the pit lane at Valencia's Circuito Ricardo Tormo ahead of the first day of pre-season testing.
According to team principal Christian Horner, it is a car that has had "the shortest build and construction time in our history".
Clearly there has been no resting on any laurels from Red Bull over the winter, but Vettel feels if he is to retain his crown and the team their constructors' championship, it will be a more difficult task on this occasion than winning it in the first place.
"We've a lot of testing ahead of us, a very long season, but we are all pumped and happy to go racing again," said Vettel, who only saw the car for the first time "in one piece" on Tuesday morning.
"What we achieved makes us all very proud, and no-one can take it away from us, so that's a huge plus.
"It will be a tough battle ahead, a long, hard fight. Motivation is not a problem, but we need to focus again.
"It is a difficult situation we're in, more difficult than last year when we said 'okay, let's just go for the title'.
"This year is a different story because we want to try and defend the titles, but we have to develop from how we were last year otherwise we will be taking a step back and others will pass us.
"We have to stay focused, try to learn every day, to improve. We have to move forward again."
Vettel, sporting the number one on his car as he enters the season as the sport's youngest world champion, has a penchant for giving his cars girl's names but has yet to christen his newest model.
At least the air is now clear between the German and Webber after a contentious season last year that often boiled over between the two men.
Many feel Webber's best chance of being champion has now gone, but the Australian was today in an upbeat mood ahead of the longest season in F1's history.
"Obviously it was very hard in the middle of a season when we're all achieving some pretty big things, as the team did last year, to tackle and learn about some of the things that went on," said Webber.
"But as a group we went through a huge amount last year, and we certainly all learned from that. I know I certainly did.
"So the way I am approaching this year is head on again. I've a great opportunity, and a great team around me, to try to improve on what I did last year.
"There are a lot of things I did right last year, some very proud moments, with 80 per cent of my season in the middle being good.
"So it's a case of trying to improve on those things, and go for it."
Horner appreciates that as the hunted rather than the hunters this season his team are heading into unknown territory, and that with it will come a range of different pressures.
"It's a new situation for the team," said Horner.
"The realisation of what we achieved last year is something pretty special for every member of the team.
"But now we're the reigning world champions, and the target is to do our very best to defend both of those titles."