Vettel’s first Q3 visit in the colors of Aston Martin breaks off a series of 15 races in which it failed to reach the final part of qualifying. Last year he drove back to the British Grand Prix for Ferrari.
It’s also the first time that German Aston Martin teammate has overqualified Lance Stroll, who is running the new upgrade package for this weekend’s Grand Prix.
After qualifying for ten at Portimao, Vettel believes it’s the most comfortable thing he’s had since joining the Silverstone-based team.
“Yes, despite the difficult conditions, probably yes,” said Vettel. “As I said, things started to click a little more than before, which is good. But today was sure to be a very difficult day.
“The car is everywhere, that’s for most other people. When the wind changes you can’t see it, you can’t see that there is going to be a gust, and you use it. If it hits you from behind, you will lose the car. Tricky but better overall, I was a bit happy with my driving. “
Vettel was not entirely satisfied with his last Q3 attempt, as he had the feeling that there was more time in the car, although the conditions worsened when the wind rose at the end of qualifying.
On the subject of matching items
“I wasn’t completely satisfied with the last lap. I think the conditions have changed a bit,” added Vettel. “Maybe the round on the used one [tyres] didn’t help keep the rhythm up but overall it sure was better and it was starting to work a bit better.
“In qualifying you shouldn’t think about your laps, just execute them. It felt a bit more like that, but I think there is more of me that I need to improve. In the end, there aren’t many laps in qualifying when the engine is turned on, there are new tires and little fuel is used. So it’s only a handful of laps per weekend.
“Sure [it] seemed to help me understand what the car needs, where to put the car faster. Today was a bit better in that regard, but still not the ideal result as we want both cars in the third quarter and beyond. “
