Question: Sebastian, tell us about the technical challenge for Red Bull here as it has been quite interesting driving 24 seconds at full throttle with your engine balanced against the fast corners in the middle sector and then again very quick on the way back. What are your feelings about the technical balance there?
Sebastian Vettel: Yeah, as you said a big part of full throttle here, so lots of straight lines where you cannot do much from the driving point of view. Looking back last year we were very strong in sector two. With all the corners in sector one and three we lost out. This year I think we have a better car in all kinds of conditions and also for all types of corners whereas last year I think in low speed we were probably a little bit behind. We have definitely made a step forward, so we should be strong here as well and for straight lines, yeah. Obviously it is not Hungary. There are lots of straight lines, so we will see how we will get on. But I think we will find the right balance. We don’t know the weather but generally we are positive and carefully optimistic I would say.
Question: When it comes to the rest of the season we heard from Michael how Mercedes perhaps are concentrating more on 2011. Other teams perhaps doing the same thing. How do you see the rivalry at the front of the championship for the rest of the year?
Sebastian Vettel: If you are in a position to win the championship that is where your focus is on but I can assure you that we are also working for next year. The cars will change again quite a bit, so you have to focus early enough and start early enough to be there right from the beginning. But, as I said, it is obviously a different situation for us maybe in comparison to other teams. We are in a very good position for this year and obviously the target is for everyone to win races and ultimately the World Championship. We are in a very good position to do so, so that’s where our main focus is.
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F1 Standings Ahead of Belgian Grand Prix
Formula 1: Fernando Alonso Fastest in First Practice at Spa-Francorchamps
Formula 1: Belgian Grand Prix - First Practice Results
Formula 1: Fernando Alonso Fastest in Second Practice at Spa-Francorchamps
Formula 1: Belgian Grand Prix - Second Practice Results
Question: And do you see the other two or three teams really continuing to push you?
Sebastian Vettel: Of course. I think Virgin is obviously focusing on next year, teams like that, but the teams that still have a fair chance - Ferrari and McLaren - I think that of course they have to and they will push until the end, same as us. So they are in a very similar position. We are all very tight on points. Again, the points system this year is different, so even though it might look a big gap of ten, twenty, thirty points, it’s literally nothing. Fernando, for instance, had a couple of good races in the last two or three races and from nowhere, when people said he’s no longer in this championship, he’s back. It shows how quickly things can change. You have to keep pushing until the end.
Question: Sebastian, if you look at the performance of your car, you actually should have a few more points. Is there anything in the rest of the season to which you personally and your team will take a different approach to avoid throwing away important points?
Sebastian Vettel: I think, yes, we should probably have more points. We have a saying - I don’t know if it makes any sense in English - but where I come from we say ‘if the dog wouldn’t have gone for a shit, he would have got the cat’ which is basically would, could, should. It’s all fine, but at the end of the day what matters are the points you have on the scoreboard. I think we’re very close. Obviously Mark is leading the championship, I’m only ten points behind. We’re first in the Constructors. I think, yes, you could argue we should have scored more points but then again, also other teams and other drivers are in a similar position and they should have scored more than they did, so in the end we are who we are and this is where we are at, so basically the championship starts from more or less zero now and we have to focus on every single race, obviously. With 20 races to go, or 15 races, there’s obviously more chance or probably more room for mistakes and with only seven to go you know that every single one is probably more important.
Question: Which corner on the Formula One calendar is your favourite corner and why - as we’re in Spa?
Sebastian Vettel: I should say that I love all the bad corners that we have in Formula One because then obviously it gives you a positive or good feeling in all the nice corners. I think it’s difficult to name only one corner. People often speak about circuits like here, Spa or other tracks with fast corners. In general, I think that corners where cars are on the edge, the drivers are on the edge, are probably the places that you enjoy most. We all love speed, so fast corners like we have a lot of these fast floating corners around here are the ones that I think all of us like and I like best as well.
Question: As Spa is a special track and something different always happens here, do you have a special memory from this track, good or bad?
Sebastian Vettel: It is just the second time that I’ve raced F1 here, so obviously I don’t have so many memories but I won some races in small categories, so those were good ones, and last year, obviously, the first time you drive here in Formula One is always a bit special because you get some special feelings that you cannot even come close to with GP2 or whatever, so it has been a good one last year. Now we hope for some points which would make this year a pretty good race. I broke my finger here in 2006. I had a crash in World Series and then for the first time I was in the medical centre here. They brought me in the ambulance to the hospital. It’s not a nice experience, I don’t want to do it again but it is an experience. I remember I was put into a wheelchair, even though there was nothing wrong with my legs and they gave me this funny dress like an old woman’s dress…Yeah, it’s an experience, something you obviously won’t forget. The driver of the ambulance was probably more crazy than all of us together. And then, I think only two years back in 2008 there was quite a chaotic finish with a bit of drizzle at the end of the race. I think I went from P4 to P8 to P4 within one lap. It was quite special. It’s a very long lap here and a lot of things can happen. You realise on occasions like this, it’s always a nice track where something extra happens.
Question: Sebastian, what’s your gift for your team-mate? The old man has a birthday, 34 years old.
Sebastian Vettel: I didn’t know that this was his birthday. I have brought nothing with me. I don’t know. I need to find something. I think they have these free shampoos and this kind of stuff in the hotel, a last minute present. But don’t tell him, of course.
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