Saturday: Mixed Red Bull, Vettel on the front row
In a session heavily disrupted by bad weather, Sebastian Vettel sets the second-best time due to a misunderstanding. Ricciardo has to settle for eighth place for not going out again at the end of the session.
Sebastian Vettel (No.1) – 1st and 2nd
Quite surprisingly, the reigning world champion managed to make it to the front row during a hectic session. He explains how the events unfolded: « It was very tight in Q1 and Q2, we went out late because of the weather but then in Q3, we were a bit ahead for the last stint, but it didn’t matter because in the end the time was good.
It’s difficult to know how much you can attack in these kinds of conditions since you’re driving into the unknown. The warm-up lap shows you that it’s soaked, and you know it’s going to improve, but how much determines the risks you can take. Apparently, I was able to assess the risks well today, so I’m happy.
Daniel Ricciardo (No. 3) – 2nd and 8th
For once, the Australian was outpaced by his leader. He explains why: “I didn’t expect it to get faster towards the end of the session here, as the rain was still falling. We really didn’t think the track would become faster, only Vettel went out since he didn’t have a time yet. We must learn from this – I’m amazed by the speed of the circuit, it must dry much faster here than I thought. We will bounce back tomorrow.”
