Raikkonen beats Vettel: fight between Ferrari and Red Bull

E s was a close four-way battle. Third and sixth places were separated by just 0.136 seconds in qualifying for the Brazilian GP. Kimi Raikkonen had the best ending for herself in the duel between Ferrari and Red Bull. Although the 2007 world champion was not completely satisfied with his final lap, which brought him behind the Mercedes. “The lap was average.” Max Verstappen landed behind the Iceman. Behind them Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, who share the third row.

Ferrari with better speed on the straights

The Sao Paulo circuit reflects the characteristics of the respective cars. Ferrari wins on the straights, Red Bull in the corners. The red racing cars were faster than their immediate competitors in the first and third sectors. In the first section in the thousandths range, in the last one to two tenths. Red Bull blames it on the better engine performance of the Ferrari V6. Raikkonen roared through the light barrier before turn one at 338.1 km /h. His team mate with 333.1 km /h. The two Red Bulls managed 330 and 325.7 km /h.

Team-mate Vettel took the training defeat against Raikkonen on his own. “In the last attempt I messed up the last two corners,” analyzed the four-time world champion. 'Kimi, on the other hand, got to the point when it mattered.' Then Vettel added self-critically: 'There were a few qualifications this season where I didn't get the best performance.'

Vettel hopes for a podium

The Brazil winner from 2010 and 2013 started the qualification seven minutes late. For some Ferrari fans, the waiting time may have made beads of sweat on their foreheads. Technical difficulties were the reason for the delay. “We had to restart the brake-by-wire system. We knew that we would therefore start a little later. ”With the start of the hybrid era in 2014, the rear brakes are no longer hydraulically but electronically controlled.

In the race, Vettel hopes to still be able to storm the podium. The long runs on Friday made him optimistic. “They were pretty good.” He doesn't speculate on a win. “Mercedes is a little too fast for the rest,” says Vettel. Only rain could probably help against the Silver Arrows. And that could rain down on the track during the race.