Friday: Red Bull is a bit behind
Just like in Germany last week, Red Bull Racing seems to be slowing down a bit compared to its main rivals. Mark Webber went off in the morning after hitting a curb a bit too hard. Vettel admits that the battle will be tight with Ferrari and McLaren for the rest of the weekend.
Mark Webber – 4th and 4th:
« I made a mistake this morning by going onto the wet curb. I’ve experienced this in past years, but drivers never learn. We always push hard. I touched the wall, but fortunately, only my front wing was damaged. We recovered well this afternoon and covered good mileage. The car is working well, and we have a lot of data to analyze tonight. The tricky point is the tires. Ferrari and McLaren are certainly very competitive, as they have been in the last few races, so it’s no big surprise that they set a good time, and it’s a race between all of us. »
Sebastian Vettel – 2nd and 5th:
« I feel a little better in the car but it’s not like last year, it seems very tight and Ferrari and McLaren are fast. I think we need to raise our game if we want to be at the front. I don’t know if DRS and KERS will have a big impact this weekend, but I think the new tires will be an important factor. I just got out of the car so I don’t know what the others have done. I think it will be important to manage the tires well over one lap, but also over the entire stint. It won’t be easy. The bandage on my hand? It’s nothing, but you know how we men are, we always have to make a big deal out of it. »
