• Bahrain Grand Prix - FP2

Vettel yet to show Red Bull's pace

ESPN Staff
April 19, 2013 « Mercedes has 'got to find some more time' - Hamilton | Vettel yet to show Red Bull's pace »
Sebastian Vettel: "The tyres seem to be the dominating factor" © Sutton Images
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Sebastian Vettel is sure he can put together a better lap than the one that secured him the third fastest time during Friday practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Vettel was 0.128s off Kimi Raikkonen's best lap in the second session after losing time to the Finn in the first and second sectors. He believes the Red Bull is capable of quite a bit more and said he was happier with the pace he managed over longer runs.

"I wasn't very happy with the short runs I had today," he said. "I seemed to struggle to put the lap together or didn't make use of the new tyres as much as I should have done. But that's why we have a Friday practice session. In terms of long run I think I was a bit happier and obviously you have a few more laps to get it together. The tyres seem to be the dominating factor and after 10, 12 or 14 laps the tyres start to fall apart and people were really struggling with the rears especially."

Raikkonen also made a couple of mistakes in the final sector of his lap, suggesting the Lotus can go a few tenths quicker, but Vettel said the race would be dictated by managing the tyres over the course of the race.

"I think we have to focus on ourselves first of all [rather than Lotus]. I think the car is quick so we have to make sure we use that. The speed of the car can only be shown on track if you translate it the proper way through the tyres so we have to make sure we get the maximum out of that and we should be on a good page."

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