Vettel: “We are back”

Sebastian Vettel, on pole at Suzuka, thinks Red Bull is regaining a high level of competitiveness. The German driver has not lost his hope of doing well in the world championship.

Published on 03/10/2009 à 17:14

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Sebastian, what a session! What did you think of all these interruptions?
The main thing is not to get distracted. But is it true that this session was strange? First of all, the most important thing is that all drivers are in good health. It is common to test your limits in qualifying. This new turn is difficult when you arrive a little too wide, because you are more than a spectator. If you happen to come back into the curve, you can't get rid of your speed and when it goes to the right, there isn't much room so the wall is close. This is why many people typed. Timo had the most serious accident of the four. He must have had a steering problem because it seemed he couldn't control his car.

How did you manage the length of the session?
So you're sitting in the back of the garage, waiting for it to start again. Sometimes you're lucky because the red flag comes when you're about to warm up your tires. Sometimes you've already started your quick ride. In Q3, it had an effect on the fuel load. I think we were very lucky with our release timing. We only had one run to do and the car was fantastic. I was the fastest in Q1, Q2 and Q3. It was more difficult in Q3 because I only had one try. It?s not easy, especially when passing the ?esses?. You only have one lap and the tires don't last much longer. If you can get a second one, you can already feel the tires deteriorating. So I can say that I was very, very happy. Since Singapore, we are back in shape.

The Brawn are far on the grid, do you think you can still do something in the championship?
There are three races to go and the gap is big. Each race is an opportunity to maintain our chances. All we can do is run. I came for the race, my goal is to win tomorrow. We are in the best position. But it?s very difficult. You have to stay focused, especially in the ?esses?. It?s amazing how fast this circuit is? In qualifying, when the car is empty, it's just incredible. It will be a long race but we have good chances and we are still looking after the championship.