Red Bull have taken penalties for the Russian Grand Prix to bolster their chances in subsequent races which will be more friendly to their package, so whatever happens in qualifying on Saturday will be irrelevant as both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo will start from the wrong end of the grid on Sunday.
Nevertheless, Verstappen is surprised by the turn of speed which saw him end up third fastest on the day behind the dominant Mercedes duo.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the day in Sochi, Vettel said, "I think the car is working really well. It was a good Friday actually - better than expected to be third in second practice.
“The balance of the car feels good. We focused, of course, a bit more on the long run and it seems to be in decent shape. The tricky bit is just the tyres.”
For now it seems that Ricciardo and Verstappen will line-up around 17th and 18th respectively on the grid.
The prospect of driving through the field is a challenge that Dutchman relishes, "“It should be a bit more fun. We have to go forward, we have to pass people – it’s not going to be easy, because also the tyres are degrading a lot. We’ll see how we’re going to do it – but we have to do it.”
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