World Champion lines up fourth but rues scruffy lap
Sunday 21 September 2014 09:36, UK
Sebastian Vettel reckoned pole position at the Singapore GP was possible but for a scruffy final lap during qualifying on Saturday.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg locked out the front row once again at the Marina Bay Circuit but Mercedes’ pursuers appear to be having a much better time of it at F1’s night race, with just 0.3s covering the top six.
Red Bull are right in the mix, with Vettel lining up on row two behind team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
However, the defending World Champion said he was always struggling after getting out of shape through Turns 11 and 12.
“In the end I wasn’t entirely happy with the lap I had,” Vettel said. “I thought there was more but I was probably pushing a little bit too much, overstepped the mark – and once you’ve overslid the tyre a bit too far then you pay the price in the next corners.
“I don’t know how happy other people were with their lap but I think pole was manageable today.”
Vettel dominated in Singapore 12 months ago, at times lapping two seconds quicker than the field on a track full of corners – 23 of them in all – tailor-made to suit his driving style.
His ability to exploit exhaust-blown diffuser technology was crucial and Vettel admits he is still struggling without that particular advantage.
“It’s not yet doing what I want to do, so every time I want to push and make something happen it just doesn’t,” he said. “I think it’s a characteristic of this year’s car in combination with the downforce we have, with the tyres – it maybe just doesn’t give me yet what I want in a certain area of the corner.
“But that’s not an excuse because in the end I have to get the best out of the car.”
An engine change on Friday meant Vettel was unable to complete a race simulation but he still hopes Red Bull’s tyre wear will be superior to that of their rivals.
“I think it will be very tricky tomorrow because if everyone’s pace is like we saw today then we are very, very close to each other. If you go two-tenths faster round here then you won’t overtake,” the German added.
“So it’s not that straightforward but the tyres will fall apart at some stage and then create a mess. And that’s what we can hopefully wait for – and hopefully we’re not falling apart before the others are.”
The 2014 Singapore GP is live only on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Our race-day coverage begins at 11.30am on Sunday with lights out at Marina Bay at 1pm.
