Saturday: Red Bull remains optimistic for the race

Mark Webber – 3rd and 5th

We knew there were fast guys – especially McLaren and Mercedes, and Romain who put in a great performance. Everyone always thinks we have little things to come back with, but this year it’s very open. I didn’t have the KERS at the end of the session, which affected our pace – it’s a shame because we hadn’t had any problems with it during winter testing. I’m thrilled with my lap in Q3. We can still finish on the podium tomorrow, but we have some fast cars around us, there’s no doubt about it.

Sebastian Vettel – 7th and 6th

It’s the first qualifying session of the year, so it’s always difficult to know what to expect, but I think what we saw today wasn’t a surprise, the lap times were close. We would have liked to be closer to the front, but in Q3 I wasn’t happy with my lap. I made a mistake at the start and lost a bit of time, so that’s my fault. I could have been one or two places higher, but that’s how it is. We won’t be starting at the front, but we’re not starting at the back either, so it’s far from disastrous, and regarding the car, we know what we need to do. We have a long race ahead of us tomorrow and a lot of opportunities, so I’m looking forward to that.

Christian Horner – Team Principal

«Mark lost his KERS in Q3, which is the first KERS problem since the start of winter testing. It’s unfortunate to encounter it at a critical moment in the session, but nonetheless, he did an excellent lap to achieve the fifth fastest time. Sebastian never really seemed to find the pace this morning, so we have a lot to study this evening. 5th and 6th is far from a disaster, and with the double DRS zone this year, I’m sure we can be in a much better position tomorrow afternoon.»