Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel dealt archrivals a double pointed compliment by referring to their package as "magic" which he is intent on doing at Sunday's British Grand Prix after ending FP2 on the first day at Silverstone top of the timesheets.
Asked what his tactics would be this weekend, Vettel replied, "We try to kill their magic."
The magic referred to is the incredible form the Silver Arrows have enjoyed since 2014, four years in which Mercedes have won 65 grands prix, while Ferrari have only scored ten victories in the top flight during the same period.
Vettel continued, “Obviously that’s what we have tried over the last years and I think here and there we have succeeded quite well. It’s true that they are very strong around here and we expect them to be very strong tomorrow, but I hope we can be there and I hope we can be close – that would be very good news.”
On Friday Vettel ended FP2 fastest by just under two tenths, with Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton second best. The German half a second quicker than teammate Kimi Raikkonen in fourth.
Vettel summed up his day at the office, "The situation is difficult to judge because we haven’t seen much today and mostly collected data, and also because time is limited between the two sessions."
"But the important thing is that we had a good Friday, everything we put on the car seemed to work, and I felt happy with the balance of the car straight away and managed to find a good rhythm from the beginning."
"There has been a lot of talk about the third DRS zone: it may be easier to drop the wing for us than for smaller teams, whose cars have probably less downforce, anyway we’ll see what happens in the race."
"I believe that most of the difference today is due to the new asphalt and… the amazing English summer!" added Vettel who will be seeking to extend his one-point lead on Sunday at a venue where he has only won at once, in 2009 with Red Bull.
loading
Latest News
Loading
