Vettel not comfortable at Suzuka

Sebastian Vettel expressed his difficulties in properly adjusting his Ferrari SF16-H at the end of the first day of testing for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. The four-time world champion only set the fifth fastest time, half a second behind his teammate Kimi Räikkönen and more than eight tenths behind the benchmark set by Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) during the second session.

“I'm not completely happy with the balance of the car, but I'm sure we can find a solution, commented Sebastian Vettel. I haven't tested the medium tire. I focused on the soft compound in the morning and the hard compound in the afternoon. I remain confident that we will find more grip tomorrow and that I will achieve better performances. »

Sebastian Vettel will have all the more interest in achieving a good performance during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix since he will have to drop three places on the Suzuka grid following his penalty received last week at Sepang (Malaysia) for his clash with Nico Rosberg.

“A podium is always possible, especially since we could have rain at some point, hopes Sebastian Vettel. It is certain that it does not help to move back on the grid, but overtaking is possible even if it is not easy. »

His teammate Kimi Räikkönen fared better since he was closest to the Mercedes W07 Hybrid.

“It was one of those days that started off a little rough before getting better, commented the 2007 world champion. I wasn't very comfortable at the wheel, I had a lot of understeer and I was in trouble in the first sector, but my lap was pretty good. It improved afterwards even if we are not yet at the expected level. I had a slight electrical problem during the second test session, probably related to a sensor, but we fixed that and everything is back to normal. »

Scuderia Ferrari is 46 points behind Red Bull Racing five races from the end of the season.

Japanese Grand Prix results