Zoom Vettel got the best from the STR3 package

It was a very mixed qualifying session for the Toro Rosso Ferrari team this evening in Singapore with Sebastian Vettel making it easily into the final round of qualifying while handling difficulties for team-mate Sebastien Bourdais saw him sidelines at the very first hurdle. Vettel lines up an impressive seventh with Bourdais ten positions behind.

Sebastian Vettel
“It was a very good qualifying for us. In Q2, we were in a comfortable position and only needed to do one run and then in Q3 I think we achieved the maximum we could do today. After experiencing some difficulties yesterday, I did not expect P7, but we did a very good job overnight and we seem to have found the right way forward. I am sure it will be a long and difficult race tomorrow and very hot. We are starting from a points position so we will be trying to bring some home.”

Sebastien Bourdais
“I don’t know what happened in this session. Every time I braked, the car went sideways. It was pulling to the left and alternately locking one of the rear wheels. The car behaved completely differently to FP3 but we have not changed anything. My first run was messy and my second run was just weird and there was no way I felt I could attack as I had no stability or grip, with the car running asymmetrically. I also came up behind Sutil in the chicane. Just a bad qualifying."

"On top of all this has come the very sad news that Paul Newman has died. He was a great man and he will be dearly missed, but he has no doubt gone to a better place.”

Giorgio Ascanelli
“Before the session I thought seventh and tenth was possible and I still believe Bourdais could have done it. As yet, we have seen nothing in the data to indicate an anomaly, so now we will check everything very carefully to understand the situation better. I am happy with Vettel’s performance, although I didn’t expect to have Heidfeld in front of us, so maybe he is going shorter on fuel. In Q2, we decided not to send Vettel out for a second run, not so as to save a set of tyres for the race, but to have the possibility of using an additional set in Q3. In the end, his first run was good, but it was still a wise precaution.”

E.A. © CAPSIS International