Saturday: Red Bull encounters grip issues
Strong all weekend, especially in the hands of Sebastian Vettel who had set the fastest time in the three practice sessions, the Red Bulls plateaued in Q3, victims of grip issues and the performances of Lewis Hamilton and Pastor Maldonado. The RB8s are still in a good position to perform well tomorrow.
Sebastian Vettel – 1st and 3rd:
It is difficult to say what happened. I was happy until the end of Q2, but in Q3, we couldn’t get on track and improve. In Q3, I couldn’t feel the grip as well and turn that into lap time. We have been competitive this weekend and our goal is to have a good race tomorrow; third place is still a good starting position.
Mark Webber – 11th and 7th:
« We expected to be higher than that. It was a tricky session, and with each stint, the car felt a little different. We didn’t have the rear grip that we had in other sessions; normally, the Super Softs give us a certain balance, but this was difficult to achieve in this session. It is disappointing to be 7th, but it’s a long race tomorrow and we have a chance to make something of it. »
