Saturday: Red Bull revisits the “Tortoise and the Hare”

Sebastian Vettel – 1st and 1st

« I am very happy. It was quite funny in Q3 today, as Mark and I decided to skip the second run and so we finished earlier than usual. It was a strange feeling, as the other cars are on the track setting times and you’re in your garage watching: they can beat you, but you can only watch the screens, there’s nothing else to do. I wrecked the car yesterday, and we missed the afternoon session, but the guys fixed it for today and I think they really did a great job. […] We didn’t encounter any issues during free practice this morning and we had catch-up work to do. […] With many laps, I was able to come back and find my rhythm, so I am very happy with my day. »

Mark Webber – 3rd and 2nd

« I would have liked to have a few more tenths to have more margin: obviously, Sebastian did a very good lap for pole position, but my lap wasn’t too bad. We discussed it before qualifying and decided that, with the race looking long tomorrow, the more laps we could save today, the more it would help us tomorrow. It turns out we are in the best possible position and the team did a good job […]. [They] made good decisions. I’m happy with my day and I look forward to tomorrow. »

Christian Horner

« It’s a great team performance today, and a fantastic comeback for Sebastian after a tough day yesterday. All the guys worked very hard to ensure the car was ready for this morning and Sebastian rewarded them in the best possible way, with an excellent lap for pole on the first run. Mark did well too, and we occupy the front row on the grid. We decided not to do a second run with both our drivers, we knew it would be a bit tight but, strategically, we believe it was the right thing to do as both our drivers will benefit from a new set of tires for tomorrow’s race. »