Ferrari: Bittersweet qualifying at Spielberg

Spielberg – Qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix left Scuderia Ferrari with mixed feelings. The variable track conditions in Q1 left Kimi Raikkonen unable to post a good timed lap and so the Ferrari man had to settle for the eighteenth fastest time. Sebastian Vettel will start from third on the grid having lapped in 1.08.810, beaten only by the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton (1.08.455) and Nico Rosberg (1.08.655.)

Kimi Raikkonen: “It has been a very bad Saturday and this result will not help us tomorrow. When I went out for my last run in Q1, the team informed me that I could do three timed laps, but then the plan was changed and I did not get the information. Therefore we missed one lap completely and I was knocked out. The point is that I was sent out too late and that cost us a lot. Obviously my starting position is not ideal; we should have been much higher up, I’m sure we could have fought at the front. Tomorrow we should have the speed we need, but you never know what happens in the race.

In the first lap it will be better to stay away of problems because there is a much bigger chance of something happening in the first few corners. There is a long straight, but also two corners which can be tricky if you happen to be in the middle of the pack. Then we’ll try to maximize our result. Until now it has been a pretty good weekend, the car is handling well: we’ll try to do our best and see what we can do”.

Sebastian Vettel: “We didn’t deserve the pole position today, but tomorrow is a different day. We have a very good car, we’re very competitive, I feel very good in the car and the pace is good as well. We’ve proven that we can be quick in every session, even if yesterday they have been short ones. For the race we’re not the favorite, but we’ll push hard and try to put some pressure on the Mercedes. I would have loved to split them on the grid, but the gap is still too much at the moment. The position on the grid is great anyway and the race will be long.

Normally between Saturday and Sunday we’re able to close the gap a bit, so hopefully the same will happen tomorrow. I believe here it’s important to have the confidence under braking, the two left handed turns in the second and third sector are quite tricky, you need to be happy with the car you’ve got and I am. Strategy for tomorrow has to be defined yet: number of pit stop and maybe safety car can change it, we’ll see. A big thanks to the guy in the garage for the work they did overnight!”

Scuderia Ferrari