• Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying

Red Bull simply too slow - Vettel

ESPN Staff
September 1, 2012 « Old-spec wing costs Hamilton dear | Qualifying proof Ferrari off the pace - Alonso »
Sebastian Vettel: "I didn't do a mistake and there was no real problem" © Sutton Images
Enlarge
Related Links

Sebastian Vettel said there was no obvious reason for his lack of pace during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, but is still targeting a win in Sunday's race.

Vettel failed to make the cut for the top-ten shootout but will start tenth once team-mate Mark Webber's grid penalty is taken into account. Vettel said he simply lacked pace but is confident he will be more competitive in Sunday's race.

"I didn't do a mistake and there was no real problem with the car, so we lost out by a little bit to get to Q3 and if we had another run then maybe it would be another story," he said. "At the time I was pretty happy with the lap I had and it just didn't come.

"We should be in a good position tomorrow, better probably than at other circuits. First of all the nature of the track and the fact that you are not entirely relying on the DRS zone to overtake and the fact that you can overtake in other places. We were quite comfortably overtaking people last year. I think our race pace is better than our qualifying pace so we should be fine."

Asked if he was aiming for a podium, Vettel said: "The target is to win and I don't think it's impossible from where we start. If we started last it would still be the target. We will have to wait and see and try to get a good start because the first lap can be quite a big casino here."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
ESPN Staff Close