it Seemed a priori that the configuration of the GP of Malaysia was favorable to the interests of Ferrari in their battle with Red Bull, but the team from Maranello has been surprised in classification and its two pilots have been behind the team of the austrian team. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen will leave fifth and sixth respectively, so that both appeal to the race pace and on all the heat that may be present in the same in order to overcome their more direct rivals, the whole time that Mercedes seems to be on another level.
Sebastian Vettel was the first to show the disappointment team after what we saw in Q3: “I’m Not entirely happy. We’ve lost respect to Red Bull a few positions that we expected to find. Tomorrow the race will be very tight in terms of pace and will be in a warm climate, which should be good for us. Since the fifth and sixth position I think we have a chance of having a good career”.
In this aspect, the German acknowledges that the equipment is in a worse situation than a year ago, when he was the great protagonist in Sepang: “last year it rained in qualifying, and the distance with the Mercedes is now quite large. it Seems that this year they are a little stronger, but we have a good position at the end of the race. The first two positions are locked. The first laps will be important because the race will be very tight with the Red Bull. We’ll see if I have a good rhythm, I can not give an exact answer. Yesterday, the sensations were good, and we have improved the car“.
Kimi Räikkönen has shown a very similar position to that of its companion box: “it Was fairly well until Q3, but after I had some traffic in the first lap and when he was struggling to run the tires in the first two curves I went a little wide. It was a qualifying session of decent, but it is annoying when you have a bad turn in your last attempt. The balance of the car has been pretty good, so I expected a little more”.
Focused on race, the finn explained to the press: “Tomorrow we will try to do better. We don’t know what’s going to happen and, obviously, we’re not in the position of ideal output. The asphalt is new, so it will be difficult to say where it will evolve, and what type of tire will be the best. It will be very difficult to match in warm conditions, but we have to do our own work, play to our strengths and see what that brings us to the race“.
–