Friday: Red Bull expects a tight battle with Ferrari and Lotus
In a good position throughout Friday, the Red Bull drivers - Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel - are quick to highlight the apparent form of the Ferraris and Lotuses, while reminding that tire management will be a key factor in the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Mark Webber – 7th and 2nd:
I would have liked to have more track time in Free Practice 2, but I still think we learned what we wanted today. Saturdays may become less important overall than they used to be, but they are still important in terms of traffic. You don’t want to be in too much traffic on Sunday, as the tires don’t like to be disturbed and it could shorten your first stints, so you always have to be in a good position. We still have areas to improve on the car. Lotus and Ferrari seem to be strong and Mercedes is there too.
Sebastian Vettel – 4th and 3rd:
« It’s very tight. If you look at the competition, then Ferrari and Lotus have been strong today and I think it will be tight in qualifying. It’s important to work with the tires on the track. I wasn’t very happy with my short runs today, but Friday sessions are there for that I guess; I was more satisfied with the long runs. The tires seem to be the dominant factor. The car seems fast, so we need to make sure we take advantage of it and we can be ready. »
