Vettel sees 'three-way battle' for pole position

Friday night, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) expressed his surprise at the speed of the Ferraris on the straights of Hockenheim (Germany). Placed at the forefront of the free practice day for the German Grand Prix, the red cars should, as usual in 2018, aim for pole position on Saturday.

Sebastian Vettel preferred to focus his attention on the Red Bull de Daniel Ricciardo et Max Verstappen, authors of the best times. « They are very fast especially on a timed lap, indicates the four-time world champion. I haven't seen the Red Bulls much in long stint conditions, but on a flying lap, they will be strong. »

Sebastian Vettel's German GP helmet “FOKUS”.

Concept & Design by German artist Christoph Niemann.#Arai #GermanGP #Seb5 #Vettel pic.twitter.com/MBL1Zb7YFV

- Jens Munser Designs (@JMD_helmets) July 20, 2018

The German driver assures us that the qualifying session could be very interesting to follow. “It will be very tight. I think it will be important to have a solid Saturday to set a good time in qualifying. It will definitely be a three-way battle for pole », that is to say between Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes.

Like the Mercedes drivers, Sebastian Vettel was able to try the various tires provided by Pirelli this weekend: medium, soft and ultra-soft, with varying degrees of success. “We still lack a bit of performance on a single lap. I wasn't completely satisfied with my lap on the ultra soft, but the car behaves quite well. »

Ultra-soft tires have developed “blister” on the rear axle, blisters on the surface of the rubber. "I'm glad I wasn't the only one (with this problem, Valtteri Bottas was also a victim). Normally, the track condition improves for Sunday, we'll see. »