Saturday, May 15, 2010

Q&A with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel might feel a little frustrated he’s not on pole for the Monaco Grand Prix, but at least P3 on Monaco grid is better than Fernando Alonso’s pit-lane starting position. Vettel reviews his performance in qualifying and looks ahead to Sunday’s race…


Q: Are you satisfied with third on the grid?
Sebastian Vettel: Of course it would be much nicer to start from the front row, but at least I am on the clean side. Actually I was quite satisfied with my qualifying until Q3. I had to wait to get a clear lap, then I made a little mistake, and on my last go I probably tried too hard and that is sometimes the moment where you lose time. But overall I have to say that we have a very good car and maybe I’ll be able to out-accelerate Robert (Kubica) right at the start. And who knows what will happen, as this is a very long race with 78 laps. Let’s wait and see.

Q: How much was the team able to help you find your way through the traffic?
SV: I think it is always important to get information about your position and where all the others are. I think it is important not to block anybody because then you easily wind up with a penalty.

Q: What are your predictions for the start and the rest of the race?
SV: There is no real chance to overtake, except if your competitor ahead finds himself in the wall.

Q: There is a four-tenth gap between you and your team mate. Where did that come from?
SV: Yes, it’s quite big, even though I think I was quite close. I still felt that I could get more out of the car. I think the circuit ramped up a lot in the end, and possibly we went in a good direction for race pace. Maybe we are lacking an extra bit in qualifying, which can quickly add up. But in the end we clocked a good time, even though it was quite a bit chaotic, as I couldn’t really get a clean lap. Then on top of that I went off at the chicane, so I only had one lap left to get it right. But nevertheless we got a good result and the car is very good.

Q: Is it disappointing that Webber took pole position?
SV: Disappointing? No. It shows that the car is working very, very well on this very different track and has the pace to be a frontrunner here too. Of course being the pole sitter means a lot for the race and I probably need Mark and Robert to do me a favour on Sunday and go straight on at the first corner!

Q: Where do you think Webber found the time for his fastest lap?
SV: It was not at one corner but over the whole track. Little bits and pieces added together to make his fantastic time. I think it would also have been possible for me but ‘ifs’ don’t count.

Q: Are you angry?
SV: It was probably anger right after qualifying, but as time goes by I would call it disappointment. And that is gone the moment I get into the car tomorrow.

Q: How risky will the start be?
SV: I don’t see any reason for me to do something stupid at the first corner. If you start from P3 you at least hope to stay in that position. Then with the right strategy, and being at the right place at the right time, let’s see how it goes.

Q: Is it a relief that the teams leading the championship are a little further down the order?
SV: I would say it’s not bad for us. We have the chance to collect a lot of points tomorrow. How many? We will see.

Q: Were you surprised that Robert Kubica clocked his time on his second lap and that he managed to get two good runs in?
SV: Not really surprised, as we saw in practice that they could fit new tyres and be quick right away. Obviously it is better to use the tyres earlier rather than later.

Source: Formula1.com

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