Sebastian Vettel wasn’t too disappointed despite slipping from pole to third on the grid for the Singapore Grand Prix.
The German arrived at Marina Bay under pressure having spun out of contention at Monza last time out while teammate Charles Leclerc scored a famous win.
And on a circuit he has won at and started from pole on four times, it appeared a give P1 start was on the cards before the Monegasque and Lewis Hamilton pipped ahead with their final runs.
“The final attempt should have been better. Overall, the car was making sense, I was feeling good,” Vettel said having bailed out on his last flying lap in the final sector.
“I was able to improve run-by-run, so maybe I peaked too early. I had a tiny wobble, so no point finishing the lap as I was already too far behind.”
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Still, pole and P3 exceeded the expectations of almost every Ferrari fan in Singapore, given their struggles this year on high downforce tracks, and team boss Mattia Binotto saw Saturday as a possible turning point.
“That’s even better than we hoped today,” he told Sky Sports on the final result.
“We knew that we brought here a new aero package and even more important for us is that we know we’re now developing the car in the right direction.
“I think that will also be useful for next year which certainly will count,” Binotto stated. “It is a relief we have identified the weaknesses and we are addressing them.
“After the first wins in Spa and Monza, certainly there is a great boost within the team. Everybody was coming here trying or hoping somehow to do something special, and I think today at least, we did it.”
As for whether Leclerc and himself can continue fighting Hamilton and Mercedes on Sunday though, Vettel admits that could be tyre-dependent.
“It will certainly feel different tomorrow than it did today,” he said/
“Overall, it should be a good race, so let’s see what the tyres will do – if we can push for the full two hours or have to manage.”