Vettel: I wasn’t sure if I could do qualy

The German told reporters after qualifying on the front row that he had feared he would not be able to take part in the session after having to park up before the end of the morning’s final practice.

“To be honest, this morning, no,” he said when asked whether he had thought pole position might be a possibility. “I wasn’t sure if I could do qualy. I don’t know what happened but [the neck] went a little bit stiff.”

“We loosened it up and for tomorrow I think the night will help. I’m not worried. Also, the speed tomorrow is less than in qualy, because you have more fuel and you’ll be a bit slower so it’s going to be OK.”

"The last lap I was very happy with it, I seem to lose a lot of time in the straights, so I think I’m missing a bit of tow. But I think it was very close, so I’m happy with second and it gives us a good chance for tomorrow."

He said the session had not been the most enjoyable but he got through it and was fine, "Even if we couldn’t beat Mercedes today for pole, we made big steps forward as a team, so I wish to congratulate the whole Scuderia because everybody, on track and at home, has done their best."

"The car is working well and we are faster than last year," insisted Vettel who leads Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton by a single point after nine races, the Briton has won his home race for the past four years, and five times in total, and starts on pole position.

Vettel will start from second place on the grid and will be seeking a repeat of the one and only win he enjoyed at Silverstone back in 2009.