Pole for Vettel as Webber is sidelined
Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel took pole position for tomorrow's Japananese Grand Prix, but team mate Mark Webber will have to start from the pit lane after a crash in morning practice means he needs a new chassis.
It was an incident-packed Qualifying with three accidents being severe enough to warrant a Red Flag.
Car 15 Sebastian Vettel, POLE POSITION
“I did my best not to get distracted today; it was a strange session with a lot of incidents. The most important thing is that all the drivers are OK. In Qualifying, it’s usual that you’re looking for the limit, as it’s about just one fast lap time, but Turn 9, where the people went off, is quite difficult. If you go too wide on that kerb you’re basically just a passenger, as you can’t get rid of the speed. There’s not much run-off, so the wall is close and people hit it. For the other cars, sometimes you’re lucky and the red flag is called just as you’re about to warm up your tyres, but sometimes it’s called when you’ve started your flying lap. The car worked fantastically today and we were quickest in Q1, Q2 and Q3. The most difficult was probably Q3, due to running with race fuel and only having one lap. It’s not easy through the S-bends and the tyres don’t really last for a second lap. I’m very happy, we’re back to full strength since Singapore and have now put the car on pole. A good day today, now let’s see tomorrow.”
Practice 3
Vettel: P4, Best Time: 1:32.414, Laps: 18
Christian Horner, Team Principal: “A great performance by Sebastian and the team. We were fastest in all three sessions and have a healthy fuel load for the race; we’ll wait with interest to see the fuel figures later today. So, a good start for Sebastian. It’s unfortunate for Mark not to be able to take part in Qualifying when the car has proved so competitive here. It’s important tomorrow that we attack the race from both ends of the grid.”
Fabrice Lom, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “A fantastic result – especially on this track, which requires a lot of power from the engine and a very good chassis – and we have both! Pole position is the best we could do today, so let’s wait for the weights and see if we can turn it into a win. It was such a shame for Mark. He was in very good shape, but unfortunately lost the car – although we’re rebuilding it now to give him the chance to fight back tomorrow. Qualifying proved this is a difficult track, as a lot of people lost their cars in the same place.”
