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Vettel at the Chinese GP: & # 34; Wasn't a great lap, but a good one & # 34;

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Sebastian Vettel on eleventh place
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D you had to scroll for a long time to find parallels in the history to find. The last pole position for a Mercedes driver dates back to 1955. The Grand Prix, in which Sebastian Vettel missed the top ten final in qualifying for the last time, is somewhat closer to the present. In Brazil 2009, the world champion only started from 15th place. Back then, during a rainy training session, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong setup. This time the question of guilt was more difficult.

More was not possible

Sebastian Vettel did not take any responsibility. 'It may not have been a great lap, but it was a good one. I set the same lap time three times. More was not possible.' The Red Bull is no longer the dominant car. And between first and eleventh place was only three tenths in the second part of the qualification. The blink of an eye can decide between to be or not to be in this dense field. The wrong tire pressure, a wrong angle of attack of the front wing, a tiny mistake, a few degrees up or down in the asphalt temperature.

In the end, Vettel was only disappointed with the result, but not with the shape of his car. 'We improved the balance. That's why I stayed with the old exhaust package. I feel more comfortable with it. I just didn't have any extra lap time left.' The fact that team-mate Mark Webber made it to seventh place on the grid with the new aerodynamic configuration is no indication for Vettel of the qualities of the two specifications. 'Mark was simply faster than me. Period. Had I had the feeling yesterday that his exhaust solution was the better, we could have rebuilt our car.'

Driving style dictates exhaust design

The GP China is a test for Red Bull. The comparison of the two exhaust systems should provide more data in order to get answers to urgent questions. 'In that respect it was a success,' confirms Vettel. 'We now know more than before. Some of our suspicions regarding the exhaust were confirmed. '

The driving style dictated the choice of the Red Bull drivers. Vettel is the corner entry more important. The old tailpipe position gives him more security because the associated aerodynamic configuration is less is susceptible to the pulsating exhaust gases. Mark Webber concentrates more on exiting the bend. The exhaust that blows outwards is better there. The Australian explained lengthily:“The reason why we are two-pronged is that we try to achieve the best possible balance in the places where we feel more comfortable.”

The tires are still a mystery. Red Bull is still struggling with the phenomenon that the car's balance becomes critical with fresh tires, while the RB8 is more forgiving on used soles. Webber couldn't say why he lost 0.529 seconds on his Q2 time in the top ten final.

The time of saving tires is over

'That could be minimal temperature fluctuations. Or the individual sets of tires differ. In Q3 I only had one fresh set left, and it didn't fit. Maybe because it just got a little cooler. ' The Red Bull drivers have to rethink one thing. 'The time to save tires is over,' said Webber. 'The priority for us is to get through one lap.'

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