Horner: Vettel is better under pressure

Discreet during the first two qualifying sessions of the European Grand Prix, the devil Sebastian Vettel emerged from his box in Q3 to win the 33rd pole of his career on the Valencia circuit in only 89 Grands Prix, thus equaling Alain Prost and Jim Clark. The pilot Red Bull started from this position during the last two editions which he won. The gaps were particularly close in this session but the double world champion set off at the best time to beat his closest rival Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) by more than three tenths. Christian Horner, delighted by the German's performance, admitted on Sky Sports that his driver was used to shining in these difficult conditions.

“He knew how to pull the strings by notably requesting a small adjustment to the front wing to achieve a perfect lap, probably his best lap of the year”, commented the Team Principal of the Austrian team on the British channel. “You could see how focused he was. He knew we only gave him one chance to qualify, he knew he only had one lap to complete and that's when the pressure is on and he's at his best . He is now level with Prost and Clark in terms of poles won. This is a remarkable result considering he is only 24 years old. He loves the history of motorsport and this has great value for him. The main thing for tomorrow will be to maintain our tires with a track temperature reaching 50°C and make sure our strategy will work. »