Breaking news
Formula 1 Japanese GP
Ferrari damaging tyres "more than others" - Vettel
Sebastian Vettel says it is clear Ferrari is damaging its tyres more than its rivals in Japan, on a weekend where it is already locked in to an ultra-aggressive strategy.
Jonathan Noble
Published: Oct 5, 2018, 7:33 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Ferrari has headed into the Suzuka weekend having picked a maximum 10 sets of supersoft tyres, and it now has just one set of new softs and one set of new mediums for the rest of the weekend
Its situation appears far from ideal, however, with both Vettel and Raikkonen suffering blisters during their long runs on Friday afternoon.
With Vettel having ended up 0.833 seconds adrift of pace-setter Lewis Hamilton, he admitted that the tyre life was not perfect.
“Today I think we were probably both of us sliding a bit too much, and therefore damaging the tyres a bit more than others,” admitted Vettel. “But I think overall, it has been okay
“It has been a clean Friday. No interruptions, no issue with the car or anything, so I think we could focus on our work and now we try to obviously squeeze out everything that is left in the car for tomorrow.”
Although Vettel felt there was some scope for an uplift in pace, he was not making any bold predictions about being able to beat Mercedes.
“I think we know what we were doing, I don’t think we tried something different to other Fridays. As I said, I think we know what the car can do.
“We need to focus on that and try to get everything out to put us in the best possible position. If we can grasp pole tomorrow, that is great.
"If not, we need to be there just right behind and then see what happens.”
Vettel was clear, however, that Ferrari would not try to do anything too stupid in desperation to beat Mercedes.
Asked about options to be aggressive, he said: “You can always do something. The question is whether it works.
“Obviously you don’t want to commit suicide. If we attack we still try to be reasonable. It is a long race.”
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF71H
Photo by: Manuel Goria / Sutton Images
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Ferrari tests new floor as upgrade push continues
Next article Verstappen did not enjoy "one lap" of Suzuka practice
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jonathan Noble
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
More from
Sebastian Vettel
Why Daniel Ricciardo would consider a comeback at Le Mans
WEC
WEC
Why Daniel Ricciardo would consider a comeback at Le Mans
Sebastian Vettel reveals why BMW didn't want him – but Red Bull did
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sebastian Vettel reveals why BMW didn't want him – but Red Bull did
More from
Ferrari
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Latest news
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 14 h
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 15 h
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
16 h
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
18 h
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe