F1: “He didn’t win, he just plays in another league”

Sebastian Vettel does not see Charles Leclerc’s good performance as a defeat (Photo: AFP)

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Lewis hamilton He took a few tenths of a second out of almost nothing at the end of the Portimao stopwatch, with which he managed to take pole. The Portuguese is not one of the easiest qualifiers for the six-time world champion, and he betrayed, even after the crash, how much he had to work for that start.

“I can’t even tell you how hard my day has been Hamilton said. – We have a great car, but we have to pull everything out to get a good circle together. Valtteri was very fast during the weekend and closed all training sessions. At the end of time, however, I decided to do a total of three laps to have a chance to finally beat him. I improved on my last nail, but this track is very stubborn. There are points where you can’t even see where you are going and you are staring at the sky for a long time. This is definitely one of the most challenging tracks I’ve ever driven. “

Based on free practice Valtteri Bottas It might have seemed more likely that he would get pole position, but he was knocked out by his teammate by a tenth of a second, so he had to settle for second place. According to Bottas, this is not good either, because he starts from the dirtiest side of the track, and he did not expect such a result because of his pace.

“I went out for a spin on the medium tires, but it was my decision because they performed well in Q2. He remembered the Finnish pilot. – I got that nail right, but it turned out I should have completed two laps as well. This is very annoying. I knew I had the speed, which is why it bothers me so much. I have to get over it quickly because it was just the stopwatch and the race will be tomorrow, plus I know I can be fast. Obviously it would be better to start from first place, if only because it is on the cleanest side of the track. However, I will do everything I can from the second starting block. “

For a moment, it seemed at the end of Q3 that Max verstappennek There may even be a first starting line, but in the end third place was behind the pair of Mercedes. According to the Red Bull driver, this was partly due to the condition of the track, as usual, constantly deteriorating with the stopwatch and the change was not good for the tires in particular.

“Throughout the weekend it was difficult to get the tires working on this new track Verstappen said. – It was not easy to match the front and rear tires, but our delay was not that great. We’re happy for third place, but this timer was a bit strange. I did my best spikes in Q1 and after that I couldn’t do it again because I didn’t have the same grip. It wasn’t much fun for me to drive due to the tires and the traction. I was here in January and then I thought how good it would be to drive an F1 car on this track. I couldn’t push a relationship too much today because it was like I was freezing. “

Charles Leclerc He was less than half a second behind Lewis Hamilton and, based on Ferrari’s performance this year, will be able to start from top-level fourth. The Monaco driver was surprised by his performance and what Ferrari was able to do in qualifying at Portimao.

“We did not expect that result at all. We thought we could do more than usual, but the fact that we were so close to the pole was a surprise. Leclerc confessed. – I am very happy with my nails, especially considering the circumstances. On my laps in Q3, the wind picked up in the last sector and that made things difficult. I start with medium tires and I think it’s a good combination to start with. The beginning itself will be difficult with him, but we don’t know how to succeed until we’re there. “

Sebastian Vettel for him, the timer had already finished in Q2, and he also retired in last place in the second stage. Like many others, the tires were the biggest challenge for the four-time world champion, but he also explained why Leclerc was able to perform much better than him while sitting in the other Ferrari.

“He didn’t win, he just plays in another league Think of his teammate Vettel. – I do my best and although I am happy with my circles, they are too slow. At the moment, there is nothing else I can do to bring out what is inside of me. I don’t know why it’s so difficult to warm up the tires to the right temperature, and besides, I always feel different. I suffer during the weekend on soft tires. For me, the tires were worn out early and the granulation appeared earlier as well. The middle mix seemed more durable than that. “