Sebastian Vettel Q&A: A perfect lap - now I need a perfect start! 31 Jul 2010
Having just taken his fourth pole position in a row, there is no doubting Sebastian Vettel’s one-lap performance. While it’s true that he’s found it more difficult to convert those front-row starts into race wins, Vettel is confident that should all change in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Considering the lead he had on Saturday over his team mate Mark Webber and the two Ferraris, few would disagree…
Q: Sebastian, you obviously had a perfect lap. There’s a substantial gap to your team mate and also to the Ferraris…
Sebastian Vettel: Well, every track is different and we have seen that Ferrari were closer to us in Hockenheim, but today they have been closer to the McLarens. And yes, I had a perfect lap and that is not easy on this track. The gap is indeed quite big and to be honest we didn’t expect that - at least not in the range of eight-tenths. But of course we accept it with pleasure!
Q: Given how substantial the gap is, have you found something on the car since Hockenheim or is it just down to you?
SV: Probably the Ferrari liked the Hockenheim track more than this one and for us it is just the other way around. I felt really good today and as I just said this afternoon was a real pleasure
Q: Why is it so difficult to have a perfect lap here? This track seems to test the drivers…
SV: It is a short track with many corners and you need to be spot on for the braking points. Then you have many left-right combinations and on top of that many bumps. So believe me, it’s not easy, because what is easy here is to lose the car - to brake too early or too late, or miss the entrance to the next corner. There are many ways to screw up your lap, so it is important to have confidence in the car and from there on in you almost automatically do things right. I think that is what happened to me today.
Q: Obviously you like this track a lot - and it likes you…
SV: Yes, I like this track. When you go out for Q3 and your heart is beating, you are a bit nervous but excited. In the end you need this tension to deliver and find those extra tenths.
Q: What are you feeling at that point?
SV: I can only say that Red Bull gives you wings. It’s as simple as that.
Q: You have done fantastically well all weekend long. Were you convinced you’d end up on pole position?
SV: Well yes indeed, the car was fantastic all weekend long so we have been quite sure that we would make the front row. And we did it. As I said on the team radio right after qualifying, it’s a day for the team. They deserve to be on the front row as they have given us a magnificent car that works superbly around here on this difficult track. They can be proud of what they’ve achieved this weekend.
Q: It’s your fourth pole position in a row, and given the nature of the track, you should be able to convert it into a win…
SV: Yeah, it really looks good. Even on Friday with a heavier car the feeling was very good on the long runs. So starting from the best spot in the race will definitely give me an advantage. We all did everything possible today and now we have to focus 100 percent on the race. And that will be a difficult one!
Q: In Hockenheim at the start you seemed to dive across to protect your position and that didn’t work. How are you approaching the start here?
SV: Your approach always depends on how your start is. The last two times we didn’t have the best start therefore you try to defend, but if everything goes to plan tomorrow I will just go straight. There are some so-called ‘experts’ that say that I am a poor starter, but that goes in one ear and out the other. And the clutch problem that we had in Germany is solved.
Q: Your team mate is right next to you. How will you approach the first corner?
SV: The only team order that we have is don’t crash into each other. We misunderstood the situation once this season and this should be enough!
