Vettel: “We didn’t handle the situation very well”

La Team Ferrari seemed able to monopolize the first row of the Spa-Francorchamps grid even if Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) was on pace with the SF71H. The rain at the end of Q2 redistributed the cards and allowed the Briton to beat his rival for the coronation by more than 7 tenths when the checkered flag was presented.

“We had the potential to take pole, but the conditions changed in Q3 and it was not in our favor, explained the German at a press conference. We will never know what we could have done if the track had remained dry. The gap at the checkered flag is quite large and Lewis deserves this result. The end of the session was very difficult to manage because the sun was back and the track was getting better, but I also had to manage the traffic because I had Esteban (Or with) in front of me and I wanted to preserve my tires at the same time. I remain confident for tomorrow because we should perform well in the race. »

Sebastian Vettel also lacked energy in his battery when approaching his last attempt, where the track was the most optimal to improve the time.

“I knew it was the last lap that was going to count and I was on the attack because we could reasonably fear a red flag, an exit from the track being probable in these conditions. We didn't handle the situation very well. I waited in the pits for quite some time and struggled to stay calm while driving on the track. My battery was empty for most of the lap and it clearly cost me time. It wasn't the best way to end qualifying.", he admitted.

“These cars remain impressive in these conditions since we don't need to take our foot off the gas in Eau Rouge and we stay in 8th gear even though we have the intermediate tires. It was fun but we weren't really rewarded even if 2nd place offers great potential. The car will allow us to overtake and the race promises to be good tomorrow,” assured the Ferrari driver.

Kimi Räikkönen had to settle for 7th place on the grid after running out of fuel to make his last attempt.