Vettel didn't have 'the pace to be threatening'

As hoped by Scuderia Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel increased his pace after Friday's free practice. Saturday morning, the four-time world champion even led the peloton during Free Practice 3 on the circuit of Red Bull Ring in Austria.

By a few thousandths, certainly, but it was enough to place him among the favorites for the qualifying session. Things looked good in the afternoon, with a better time in Q2. But the final phase had an unpleasant surprise in store: seventh after the first attempt, Sebastian Vettel was in trouble.

“The start of Q3 was difficult for me, due to a driving error. It wasn't easy to catch up because I absolutely had to pass the second attempt, otherwise I knew I was going to start the race relatively far in the peloton » He explains.

Fortunately, his second attempt proved more effective, and allowed him to move up to third place, behind the two Mercedes. “I think the pace shown in qualifying is representative of the pace of Ferrari this week-end. I didn't have the pace to be threatening. »

Sebastian Vettel remains positive. “We have to make sure we progress. For the moment, we are a little behind (Mercedes). We must continue to attack for the race. It should be a close battle in racing conditions, as the car behaves better in long stints. »

Analyzing the behavior of the two machines a little more, the Ferrari seems slower in the last sector. “The Mercedes negotiates the last corner much faster than us and then it maintains speed better towards the uphill straights. »