Sebastian Vettel: “My fastest lap this afternoon was OK, but I left a bit of a margin”

Sebastian Vettel believed it was a ‘decent’ day for the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team at the Hungaroring on Friday, with the German ending in an encouraging eighth place in the afternoon session.

Vettel began the weekend with thirteenth in the morning session but improved in the afternoon, although he feels there is still some time to unlock ahead of Saturday’s final practice session and the all-important Qualifying session.

The four-time World Champion says Qualifying in the same position on Saturday will be a fantastic result for Aston Martin, but it is important to start the day on the front foot in final practice.

“We had a decent day,” said Vettel.  “If we qualify tomorrow where we finished today, I think that would probably be a good result for us.

“But, of course, we want more – so let’s see what we can find overnight.  My fastest lap this afternoon was OK, but I left a bit of a margin.

“On this track, the driver can make the difference if they have absolute trust in the car: it is one corner after the other, without much time to think, so, if we can get in the groove tomorrow morning, we can aim for a good result in qualifying.”

“We have learned a lot today – particularly with the tyres” – Lance Stroll

Team-mate Lance Stroll confirmed that Aston Martin have a good car in Hungary by placing tenth in both sessions, with the Canadian ending just under a tenth of a second behind Vettel in the afternoon session.

Stroll says the team learned a lot about the Pirelli tyres during Friday’s running, particularly in the hotter than expected conditions, but he knows it will be important to continue that learning and carry the form from Friday into Saturday’s all-important Qualifying session.

“It was really close out there between the teams, which is to be expected at the Hungaroring,” said Stroll.  “It is always great fun to drive this track, so I am happy to be back.

“We have learned a lot today – particularly with the tyres. There was quite a lot of degradation in the long runs in FP2, which is often the case in Hungary. We will go away and look into it, because tyres and strategy can be really influential here.

“I felt good in the car over a single lap, but there are always areas to improve. It has been a good start to the weekend and I am looking forward to qualifying tomorrow. It could be especially exciting if we get some rain, too.”

Lance Stroll placed tenth in both Friday sessions – Credit: Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team