Formula 1: QUALIFYING – Hungarian Grand Prix Press Conference
Here is your post-qualifying press conference featuring Sebastian Vettel (pole position), Kimi Raikkonen (2nd position) and Valtteri Bottas (3rd position) – speaking after the Formula 1 qualifying session in Hungary.
Question – Sebastian, it’s your 48th pole. It looked like a pretty seamless session from where we’re sitting. How was it for you?
Sebastian Vettel – “Seamless? Well, it was seamless in terms of we didn’t have any problems. I felt quite good straight away from Q1 and onwards, we did the laps we had to do and then come Q3, I was fairly confident.”
Vettel – “You debate about small things that you can do with the car. I was very happy with the first run and I knew that there was still a little bit so I went flat out on the second attempt and I was bait faster and it felt like I was faster – then, I arrived on the last sector and I think I asked a bit too much of the tyres beforehand and lost it.”
Vettel – “I looked up and I didn’t know who was coming behind me because there was a little bit of time, I was very happy with the first lap and the second, I think, could have been a bit better.”
Vettel – “The car is feeling phenomenal. Then I saw it was two red in the first two positions and obviously at the same time, the radio opened and there was a big scream – so that was really nice.”
Vettel – “Obviously, this is only Saturday, there’s nothing to get from today, other than the best position but we did that and I think that it’s great, especially after….. well, there’s always a lot of talk after the last race which was a bit too much and I think it’s good to give the answer on the track.”
Vettel – “I’m just happy, as I said – I really like the track, the car felt fantastic and it was a real pleasure to go around.”
Question – Kimi, it is a Ferrari front row lock-out. You came on the radio at some point and said you were unhappy with the braking. So, was there more to come from you – had you been happier in the car?
Kimi Raikkonen – “No, in the end it was OK. Obviously when you lock the front, it’s not but there’s nothing wrong with anything. It’s just that you always try to find a better way of driving and doing things so this is very normal to discuss things like that.”
Raikkonen – “I was happy with the last apart from going into the chicane, I dropped the wheels on the left kerb and got sideways. I lost an awful lot of lap time and I felt that I had a good chance to put it in first place but anyhow – it was not decent enough for second place.”
Raikkonen – “This is great for the team but it’s only Saturday, we have a long way to go tomorrow with both cars and we will try to keep the positions and see what happens.”
Question – Valtteri, Mercedes were seeking their third consecutive front row lock-out here in Hungary. It hasn’t happened. How surprised have you and the team been by the pace of the guys alongside you?
Valtteri Bottas – “I definitely think today, all day that Ferrari have just been too quick for us. We saw in practice the times they were doing and after that, we expected a tricky qualifying but I think, y’know, it felt like we got the most out of it – more or less.”
Bottas – “They were quicker today and yesterday it was looking a bit better for us so yeah, today was a little bit surprising but it just shows that we definitely have work to do.”
Bottas – “Tracks like this that require the maximum downforce of the car, we seem to be struggling a bit more than normal, for one reason or another, so we need to keep working on this.”
The Formula 1 Girl 🙂
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