Red Bull front row lock-out thanks to 'phenomenal balance'
Sebastian Vettel took pole for the fourth time in a row in Japan and went 2 tenths quicker than his team mate at Red Bull Racing, Mark Webber. The duo therefore start in the best possible positions to secure a lot of points at the end of tomorrow's Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel, Position: Pole, (3rd Practice – P1, 1:32.136):
“It was good we got the time on the first run, with the yellow flags coming out later. We had a phenomenal balance in the car and I had the feeling we could go with the track today. We only needed one run in every session, which doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s very enjoyable around here when the car works how you wish, especially on low fuel and fresh tyres. It’s very special. Yesterday evening I wasn’t too happy as I was losing time in the first sector, but I found my mistake and in today’s practice session it worked straight away, I don’t know why I didn’t do it in previous years and it shows you never stop learning. Tomorrow will be interesting; it’s hard on tyres here, so we will need to work to stay where we are. ”
Mark Webber, Position: 2nd, (3rd Practice – P2, 1:32.371):
“That was a pretty solid session. We knew it was going to crank up in Q3, but I’ll tell you, this place on low fuel with new tyres is something else. I was pretty happy with my first attempt, apart from the hairpin, but Sebastian had that couple of tenths and I thought ‘fair play’, it was a competitive lap from him. Overall both of us were very competitive in qualifying and that puts in good stead for tomorrow. All the hard work from the factory is paying off. The main day though is tomorrow, that’s where the points are.”
Christian Horner, Team Principal:
“A fantastic team performance; to achieve the front row for tomorrow’s race is the best result for the team. It’s a shame that the yellow flag came out at the end there, as both drivers were up on their lap times, but one and two is the best place to start tomorrow’s race. Congratulations to Sebastian on his 34th career pole, which puts him third behind two illustrious names, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, in the all-time list.”
Cyril Dumont, Renault engine support:
“Today is simply a wonderful result; it’s the best we could have achieved, so I’m pleased with that. The pace was there. Today was the 199th pole position for Renault engines, so I look forward to the next one. For the time being we need to focus on today’s result and we hope that we will score important points tomorrow in both Championships.”
