• Hungarian Grand Prix - Qualifying

Last run in Q2 hurts Webber

ESPN Staff
July 28, 2012 « Alonso focused on defending championship lead | Raikkonen disappointed with fifth »
Mark Webber couldn't find the grip on a new set of soft tyres to get through to Q3 © Getty Images
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Mark Webber said Red Bull failed to get its last run correct in Q2 and that the car was capable of qualifying higher on the grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

After dropping out in the second part of qualifying, Webber will start 11th on the grid while his team-mate Sebastian Vettel lines up third. In a very close session, Webber was knocked out right at the end as Bruno Senna improved his best time with a second flying lap, and Webber said he was unable to do the same because he didn't have time to cool his tyres.

"The car was relatively strong in Q1, not so bad at the start of Q2 on the scrubbed tyre, and then on the last set I didn't get the rhythm or the grip on the first lap and then when you've got to go again on the second lap it very rarely works unless you can do a slow lap," Webber said. "So in the end we paid a big penalty obviously for not getting the last run correct, because there were three tenths between third place and 11th.

"So here we are. I would have loved to have been in Q3 because I'm fairly confident we could have qualified reasonably well but in the end you sometimes only get one shot."

When asked what he thought of his chances of making up ground on Sunday, Webber said if he was able to overtake during the race then he could recover because the RB8 is strong on high fuel.

"I'm not sure how strong the DRS will be tomorrow so first of all we have to see that. If the racing is happening on track then I think we can do a good job - I think the car is good in the race - but strategy as well; we need to maximise everything. Whether it's passing on the track or in the pit lane or whatever we need to move forward. Obviously Lewis is on pole and Romain is second so there's a couple of guys who have not had the best weekends of late doing well, so we need to bounce back and get some good points as well."

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