It seems to be a case of half and half for Scuderia Ferrari these days. On a day where Charles Leclerc took P4 on the grid, Sebastian Vettel was knocked out of the second phase in qualifying.
The experienced German driver will be starting the race a spot shy of the Top-10 and will be eyeing a points finish at the very least. Dissatisfaction with his performance is bound to creep into his mind, having put in a decent final few laps in Q2.
But as one has often seen, the main race is where drivers need to focus.
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Sebastian Vettel thinks they could be ‘slightly better’ in the race
Despite the disappointment on Saturday, Vettel’s experience tells him that getting a good start in the main race matters more, as does having a pitch-perfect and effective pit stop strategy.
Speaking in a brief interview, he admitted, “Unfortunately, I can’t do more with the car I have. I’ll start from eleventh position and I’ll try to get the best possible result. The car was not bad. On this track we run with maximum downforce and we know that this benefits us a bit.
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“The last time we used this configuration was in Hungary. And I think tomorrow we should be slightly better in the race.” (translated from Google Translate)
Teammate Charles Leclerc and was at the top of his game today, effectively securing a P4 towards the end. The Monegasque looked quite comfortable in the SF1000; a sight for sore eyes as far as the Tifosi are concerned.
Vettel has picked up points from similar positions before
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Although the Ferrari cars need to be further ahead given their form and reputation, P11 does not necessarily represent a failure for them. Starting on the Mediums might give him an edge over the other drivers.
They are a better bet than the Soft compound tires, especially at a track where the weather could play a definitive role.
“It is a pity that we did not manage to capitalize on the car’s potential to the maximum. Perhaps it will be an advantage to start the race with a compound other than the softs,” said Vettel. (translated from Google Translate)
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Therefore, at a time where there is a smaller margin for error, Ferrari have to be spot on with their pit strategy. Managing the workload of both Leclerc and Vettel will then see them secure a good result. Fingers crossed!