Objective Mercedes for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari
Inserted between the two Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel can approach the race in Sakhir with even more ambition. The Scuderia dreams of only one thing: repeating the Malaysia feat. An ideal within their reach?
Very quick in Q3, Sebastian Vettel surprised everyone by beating Nico Rosberg. For the second time this season, the four-time world champion will start between the two Silver Arrows. “It’s a great success for us to be between the Mercedes,” he congratulated himself. “At the beginning of the session, I wasn’t very satisfied, but it got better afterward. The last lap was crucial, and we managed to nail it.”
The long runs of the Ferrari, on par with or even superior to those of the Mercedes in free practice, have given the Scuderia something to hope for. But can Vettel really get ahead of Lewis Hamilton once the temperatures have cooled down? « I can’t say if victory is possible tomorrow. (…) The goal is always to focus on ourselves. If there is a chance to beat one or two Mercedes, we’ll obviously go for it. (…) Lewis has said it would be difficult to beat us… let’s hope he’s right! ».
Fourth on the grid, Kimi Räikkönen, although once again outpaced by his teammate, achieved his best qualifying in two years. While Vettel will be chasing Hamilton, the Finn will hope to overtake Nico Rosberg: « It’s a positive day, even if I’m a bit disappointed to finish fourth. (…) My car performed well this Saturday. The grid position isn’t ideal, but it’s not too bad for tomorrow. We’ll try to get a good start and make progress on the first lap. Overtaking Rosberg would be a great help. »
Kimi Räikkönen has often made strong starts this season, but will be at a disadvantage starting from the wrong side of the track this Sunday.
