Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were both satisfied with their position after the opening day’s running at the Circuit of the Americas. The team can wrap up both championships this weekend with Vettel on the verge of the driver’s title and he dominated the day, topping both practice sessions.
The current championship leader was seven tenths ahead of his nearest challenger and ominously for everybody else, he is looking at areas that he can still improve in before qualifying.
“It was slippery this morning and a bit like driving on ice. It wasn’t so easy, but we managed to get into a rhythm. We had a bit of a problem this afternoon and so couldn’t run as much as we wanted, but we got two good runs which is important for tomorrow and Sunday. I think there were a couple of surprises today in terms of pace, so we’ll see tomorrow. The track will constantly improve – it’s good that we are amongst the guys at the top, now we’ll try to improve the car to make sure we stay there.”
Despite the gap to his teammate, Webber was happy with the day overall and added his name to list of drivers impressed by the new track in Austin.
“It’s a pretty good track, it’s quick, especially the first sector which is quite full on, although sectors two and three are more traditional and similar to other tracks. It was very slippery to start with, which was quite frustrating probably for all of us, but in the end the track rubbered in pretty well and we got into a good rhythm. As with all new circuits, you’ve got to work out where you can prioritise your time and where to compromise. It’s got a bit of everything really, so it’s good.”
