Spain

Last Race: 12th May Spain

Spain GP Results
Pos Driver
1 Fernando Alonso
2 Kimi Raikkonen
3 Felipe Massa

Vettel: Room for improvement

Friday 15th March 2013

Vettel: Room for improvement

Vettel: Room for improvement

While Sebastian Vettel says it was "good" to know Red Bull are up there, he admits lap times are not the "important thing" on a Friday.

The reigning World Champion kicked off his quest for a fourth successive Drivers' title with a double P1 in Friday's practices for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Leading a Red Bull 1-2 by the end of the day, Vettel showed that his RB9 had pace on both the medium and the supersoft Pirelli compounds.

The German finished the day with a 1:25.908, which put him 0.264s up on Mark Webber.

"I have to say it was a very good day for us," Vettel said. "Surely one thing is to look at the timesheets but that's not the important thing today.

"For sure it feels good to know that you're kind of up there somewhere but I have to say it was a very good day considering it was the first day of the season; we didn't have any problems, no major dramas so it was a very quiet day and we got through the programme so I'm very happy with that."

Friday's running took place on a warm track despite the cloudy skies, however, rain is forecast for Saturday, prompting Vettel to declare that Red Bull cannot relax.

"We know a little bit more than yesterday, that's for sure, but I think we have to be aware of the fact that conditions can change.

"A couple of degrees make a massive difference with these tyres so for today I think we are very happy but tomorrow could be another day so I think there's room for improvement and we need to keep our eyes open and see what happens.

"When we arrived it was very hot and since then it's got cooler. How much that has an impact on tyres and how they work and car balance we can't really predict but we need to be ready to change.

"Even though today was a good day - I was happy with the balance - the conditions will change so we need to be aware of that and switched on to make the right choices."

Related Links
FP2: Vettel quickest as Hamilton crashes
Friday's pictures from Australia

User comments

    Loading

      Post a comment

      Gallery: Race Day At Barcelona

      Editor's Picks

      Winner and Losers: Spain

      Winner and Losers: Spain

      Alonso reigned in Spain, while the rest of the grid had to ask their engineers how fast they were allowed to drive...

      The PF1 Fantasy League

      The PF1 Fantasy League

      Join the PlanetF1 Fantasy League and go up against the crew at PF1 in our 2013 Friends and Enemies battle...

      The Benetton Class Of 2001

      The Benetton Class Of 2001

      There's something special about the four Benetton drivers lining up in St Mark's Square - they're all in the 200 Club...

      Spain With Lotus & Sure

      Spain With Lotus & Sure

      Lotus sponsor Sure For Men brings you a detailed account of the team's Spanish weekend - from the sublime to the absurd...

      The Forum Is Ready To Chat

      The Forum Is Ready To Chat

      Ferrari came apart (literally), Vettel became the first to two, Lotus put two into the top three and the protests continued. Let's chat...