Question: Sebastian, congratulations. What is it with you and this track?
Sebastian Vettel: I don’t know what it is here. On Friday morning we do the first couple of laps and it’s unbelievable, the corner combinations. I can only say it again and again, it is so much fun, especially in qualifying. Our car obviously works very well in those sorts of corners and then it is just unbelievable. The speed we reach. I think we are all a bit crazy but it is so much fun and the combinations are unbelievable. The new section is also great, especially 11, 12, so coming onto the new section with a big bump. I really like this track and fortunately our car always works very well here. As you said it was a tight session today. In Q2 I wasn’t perfectly happy. I think I was pushing a bit too hard and tried a bit too much, so for Q3 I went a bit more conservative. Of course I had to push. I had two very, very strong laps and in the end got the pole which obviously is the key for tomorrow.
Question: Tell us about the front wing problem you had this morning in free practice and how it affected your preparations for qualifying?
Sebastian Vettel: Well, obviously it wasn’t ideal. It happened very sudden. I was going down the straight from turn 10, so out of Club approaching Abbey. From the inside you don’t see your own front wing, so I didn’t know what happened first of all. I only felt that something is wrong, so I had to cut the corner. The wing was broken but fortunately we could continue with the same kind of wing. It was the key for this afternoon and as I said, very pleased. Also for the team again. I hope we can repeat last year’s story with a very good result here. It is not my home grand prix but I feel home here as the team’s home is here, only 20 minutes away in Milton Keynes. It is great for them again to have both cars that high up and show we are able to build very quick race cars.
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Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel Grabs Pole at Silverstone
Formula 1: British Grand Prix - Race Line Up
Question: Sebastian, some thoughts on the race tomorrow and this rocket ship of a car you seem to have around this track.
Sebastian Vettel: I hope I will enjoy the day. You don’t get to drive these sorts of cars on these types of tracks too often, so hopefully I enjoy the day. Starting from pole on the clean side is the key for the race. I think we do have a quick car in qualifying but also in race conditions, so we should be able to have a good race but you never know. The weather forecast is sunny which I think is quite unusual for Silverstone. But I think England becomes more and more tropical now. It is probably the country to go to and invest. We will see. I think we will have a great day tomorrow and fingers crossed everything will work.
Question: Sebastian, two very, very quick laps. Were you surprised to be able to get two quick laps like that?
Sebastian Vettel: No, not surprised, that was the target. It wasn’t easy. Q1 was alright. In Q2 I was a bit too slow, no particular corner, I was just a bit all around. I think I was probably trying a bit too much, so for the third qualifying we didn’t really touch the car. I think I had a bit too much oversteer in the second part, so I tried to help it a little bit with the things you can change on-board and it seemed to work very well. I tried to be a bit more conservative. Of course you have to push but I tried to be a bit smoother and it seemed to work very well. I had two very good laps. Around here it is incredible. The corners we have here if you compare them to other tracks, it is just amazing. The combinations, the first sector, Copse, Maggotts, Becketts, Stowe Corner. There are so many corners here that you really enjoy so much. In particular our cars works quite well I would say, so you enjoy even more. All in all a fantastic day. A very good qualifying session with a good end, so happy to be on pole and I think it is the key for tomorrow’s race.
Question: The car seems to be ideally suited here. What are the qualities of the car that make it so ideally suited?
Sebastian Vettel: It is just quick everywhere. I think we have proven this year apart from that we have a quick car that we have a very quick car no matter the circuit characteristics. If you compare this track to Valencia two weeks ago it is completely different, so still we see that we were very competitive in Valencia and also here. Our car likes corners where you need the downforce as we have some of it, so it will also help us. But also compared to last year we have made a step forward all around, so also in low speed and medium speed corners usually it is very tough and it takes a lot of effort to really gain lap time in fast corners whereas in low speed corners it is so easy to lose it. I think that is where we have made a step forward and that is why we have made a step forward everywhere and in particular as we expected as fortunately we can confirm on places like here.
Question: The weekend so far has not been entirely trouble free. Is that a worry for tomorrow?
Sebastian Vettel: No, it shouldn’t be. I agree it hasn’t been, but all the cars are built on the limit and you always try to improve. You always know what is happening on your own car, so yesterday afternoon I wasn’t happy. We had some issues with the brakes but we were able to fix it. This morning I think we were back in the rhythm. We had the front wing coming loose but I think we are alright and as I said the cars are built on the limit. You always try to improve. It is difficult from my point of view to judge but we have seen the McLarens yesterday bringing new parts. For some reason they don’t use them today or they reverted back. It is tough to improve. Everyone tries but it is not easy. There is a bit of room here and there for every car but it is not easy to do it at the right time and to do the right step.
Question: Sebastian, who represents the biggest threat to your victory tomorrow: Mark or Fernando?
Sebastian Vettel: Lewis (Hamilton)! No, I think that if we have learned anything so far in this championship, it’s that we are racing to find out who is the best on a particular day, so we will see tomorrow. Obviously, it’s not only about the three of us, as I said. Lewis is behind, there are others, and you never know how the race is going to unfold. For sure, I think, one thing is clear: we are the favourites. We have a very strong car here, so we should be able to win but there are 52 laps between us (and the chequered flag). Today, it was all about getting in the best position and we have done that. Now we focus on tomorrow. It will be a long race, but as usual, no points on Saturday.
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