Vettel says he wasn’t able to go faster in Q3

2013 Korean Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

Sebastian Vettel said he was held up by traffic on his second run in Q3 but it was a tall order to improve on his first attempt anyway.

“I had a very good lap in Q3,” said Vettel after scoring his 42nd career pole position in Korea.

“My first attempt, I knew that it would be tricky to beat that time, for myself, so I tried again.”

“But obviously the second run I caught Kimi [Raikkonen] on the warm-up lap and I was a little bit too close, we didn’t have that much time in hand to drop back further. So not ideal but fortunately the first lap was good enough.”

Vettel said the competition from Mercedes was “very strong”. “I think they feel pretty comfortable in the middle sector,” he added, “so it’s a tight battle”.

“A bit of a surprise this year we are very good in sector one which is mostly straights so the car is pretty good through those two corners that we have in the first sector and seems that is competitive down the straight which is always helpful also for the race. It’s the easiest part of the track to make up time.”

“So in that regard I think we got the balance right this weekend, improved the car from yesterday, I wasn’t entirely happy with final practice yesterday.”

2013 Korean Grand Prix

    Browse all 2013 South Korean Grand Prix articles

    Image © Red Bull/Getty

    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

    Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

    13 comments on “Vettel says he wasn’t able to go faster in Q3”

    1. It was a nigh-on perfect lap. From the on board on the Sky pad, it looked like his only “mistake” was going slightly too deep in the braking zone for T9, so he missed the apex by a few inches. Apart from that, perfection.

      1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
        5th October 2013, 10:15

        @vettel1
        It was a mega lap.

        I’ve been a little skeptical of Vettel’s performance vs the red bull’s pace. But man, he is able to get absolutely everything out of that car. Mighty impressive.

        1. The car just works so well with him, too @tophercheese21. You could see especially into T3 that he just had one, smooth move of the steering wheel and the car was magnetised straight to the apex. It’s so planted.

    2. “A bit of a surprise this year we are very good in sector one which is mostly straights so the car is pretty good through those two corners that we have in the first sector and seems that is competitive down the straight which is always helpful also for the race. It’s the easiest part of the track to make up time.”

      Tomorrow’s hopes ruined !!

      1. @hamilfan Somehow I feel it would be a good day for Lewis tomorrow, his form is so good the entire weekend…

    3. Really good lap from seb, i must say. Webber who was sacrificing ultimate quali pace in order to facilitate some overtaking on race day did a 1.37.4, Lewis going all out , did a 1.37.4. That just shows how a step ahead of every other team RB is in terms of raw quali pace. The sector 2 times suggest to me that the W04 is fundamentally on Par with the RB9 in terms of sheer downforce, as has been the case for most of the season. The RB9, however, has the perfect balance in all 3 sectors. Especially in S3 where its all about slows twists, tight turns and good traction. The clever blokes at RB have done a good job with that engine cut torque map thingy and make no mistake about it, it is paying huge dividends right now. There’s no doubt that other non-Renault teams are going to find means and ways to take advantage of this.
      I personally am hoping for a Lewis win tomorrow. Lets see how it all goes

      1. Mercs have clearly gone all out on DF setup (RB 2010 style). They’re painfully slow in 1.st sector compared to RB. I think even if Lewis gets past Vettel of the line he’ll still be a sitting duck down the straights. I really don’t believe mercs stand a change tommorow.

    4. I think the start of the race is very very crucial . As long as seb goes off the line quickly he should be okay after the first two turns as the RB is good in the straights and also vettel tends to get a good exit . If he gets a slower start he might need to do a bit of negotiating like in Singapore . Also , can these guys use KERS straight away at the start as we do so in the games ( I know the example is a bit silly but that’s the closest one I’ve got ) or is there a time restriction ?

      1. I think it’s allowed from 100 clicks and up. Not sure though. Even so, it would be pointless to use it before that as all you would get is more wheel spin.

      2. can these guys use KERS straight away at the start

        Yes they are allowed to but they will not use it until they have reached around 100 km/h. Before that, the downforce is not strong enough and more power to the rear wheels would just mean more wheel slip than more acceleration. The drivers also don’t push down the throttle fully for that reason.

    5. But obviously the second run I caught Kimi [Raikkonen] on the warm-up lap and I was a little bit too close, we didn’t have that much time in hand to drop back further.

      I noticed that when Vettel left the pits with only 1:48 or so to go (and said so on F1F Live) – this meant he only had 15 seconds in hand compared to a fast lap.

      1. He crossed the line to start his final lap with 1.5 seconds on the clock

        1. Perfectly timed ^^

    Comments are closed.