Lewis Hamilton was left to concede Ferrari simply had the quicker car after qualifying second for the Canadian Grand Prix.
The Briton appeared set for a third pole of the year after setting the early benchmark in Q3, but Sebastian Vettel would respond with an excellent lap to take the top spot.
“Honestly, for whatever reason, I don’t particularly feel disappointment,” the Mercedes driver said post-session.
“We gave it everything we could. Ferrari was just quicker. Particularly in that last sector, they were killing us by four-tenths or five-tenths on the straights.
“But I did everything I could. We did everything we could. I think the timing was right, the procedures were perfect.”
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While it remains to be seen if this is the start of a Ferrari resurgence or if it is just circuit-specific, Hamilton was pleased to see the Italian team back in the fight.
“So, really, really, thoroughly happy with the job [we did],” he insisted.
“Obviously we had P1 for a second, but we knew they were quick. This is good, this is how racing should be.
“I’m glad that I was able to split the Ferraris. Tomorrow will be interesting – the weather is fantastic, we’ve got a great group of fans that are here.”