Vettel: Red Bulls can still shoot themselves in the foot

Dominant since the start of the weekend in Mexico, the RB14s will start on Sunday from the first row of the grid, Ricciardo having stolen pole from his Dutch teammate in the final moments of Q3. 

The two men certainly maintain cordial relations but the clash in Baku at the start of the season is still fresh in the memory, whatever the two Red Bulls say. The single-seaters of Milton Keynes have also failed to demonstrate exemplary reliability with numerous abandonments due to mechanical incidents, particularly engine ones. 

Behind them, Hag, who absolutely must win to maintain a slim hope of a title, intends to rely on the robustness of his package to compensate for his lack of pace over one round. 

« We have demonstrated the best reliability so far, declared the leader of the Team. The Red Bulls are very fast, they were out of reach in qualifying and they will be difficult to beat in the race. But maybe they'll shoot themselves in the foot and lose on their own ? "

Happy with his first attempt in Q3, which earned him the 2nd provisional time, Vettel regretted having wanted to do a little too much during his final run. More than the first meters of the race, the four-time German world champion believes that tire management will dictate the outcome of the Grand Prix. 

« There is distance before the first corner and we have a big top speed so maybe that can help usr, he conceded. After that, the key will be in managing the tires, we will see how we feel at the end of the stint and if we can still attack. It will be more important to preserve the tires later in the race rather than trying to gain every position at the start. ». 

Even if Vettel succeeds in Mexico, Hamilton can secure the world crown by finishing 7th at worst.