Sebastian Vettel: “Laps like these make me feel sad about leaving F1”

Sebastian Vettel ensured his perfect FIA Formula 1 World Championship qualifying record of achieving a top-ten start at the Suzuka International Racing Course remained intact at his last Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

After his impressive qualifying outing, Vettel even admitted to being sad about his impending retirement from the sport at the end of the season. The German driver will line up on the fifth row of the grid in ninth-place for Sunday’s Grand Prix and after making Qualifying Three for just the fourth time this season.

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team elected to send Vettel out midway through Q3 to provide the four-time world champion a clear track to set his time and a chance for the four-time Japanese Grand Prix race winner to soak up the atmosphere on what will be his last qualifying session around the Suzuka Circuit.

While the Aston Martin driver was delighted with his qualifying performance, Vettel revealed that the result came with a tinge of sadness due to this being the last time he would experience a Formula 1 car in qualifying trim around Suzuka.

“It is so much more fun around here than at the other circuits! I mean, the cars and the speeds are great – but at this place you feel alive. I have enjoyed it so much over the years – and I had a wonderful day today. We will see what we can do tomorrow, but I am just very happy about today. At the same time, I am a bit sad – because it is the last time I will ever tackle this track in qualifying trim.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s Grand Prix, Vettel spoke on how he is hoping for rain to materialise around the Suzuka Circuit, with the German driver believing his AMR22 car will be better suited to the wet conditions.

“I do not mind if it rains tomorrow – I cannot influence the weather! – but I think wet conditions would probably be a bit better for us. Still, we had a strong day today and I think we can make a difference managing the tyres whatever the weather. Laps like these make me feel sad about leaving F1.”

Lance Stroll: “It is not ideal to be starting from 19th, but tomorrow is a new day”

While Vettel was able to hit the heights of Q3, it would prove to be the same narrative for Lance Stroll in qualifying as the Canadian suffered his eleventh Qualifying One exit of the 2022 Formula 1 season.

Stroll will line up on the back row of the grid for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix in nineteenth-place and will be joined by his compatriot Nicholas Latifi, who was the only driver to set a slower time than the Aston Martin driver in Q1.

The Canadian driver missed out on a spot in Qualifying Two by just under three-tenths of a second, and Stroll admitted that a lockup into turn eleven on his final lap was what likely cost him any chance of making it out of Q1.

Despite his early exit from qualifying in Suzuka, Stroll remains optimistic heading into Sunday’s race and, like his teammate, revealed that he is hoping for a rain shower come the start of the Japanese Grand Prix.

“Unfortunately, I locked up in the hairpin at Turn 11 and lost three tenths, and that was the difference between us making it out of Q1 today. However, the car was good to drive, and it was great fun out there driving Suzuka in the dry once again. It is not ideal to be starting from 19th, but tomorrow is a new day and we will see what we can do in the race. If the weather does turn wet again as it did on Friday, it will provide some good opportunities for us to move up the order.”

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