Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel have stressed that there is still work to do despite finishing Friday at Suzuka in first and third respectively. Webber was up at the sharp end in both practice sessions but doesn’t think they’ve perfected the balance yet, something which will be key to securing pole position.
“It was a nice change to get some good weather; it’s been the first dry weekend for a while. We have plenty to go through this evening, it was a smooth one for us today and we completed all the runs we wanted to. It’s a challenging venue in terms of balance here, but the car ran well and we tested both tyres. We have areas where we can improve, mostly with the balance, so we have some work to do. Suzuka is a great track that’s remained untouched for a long time, it’s a classic.”
Vettel had a difficult morning, languishing in the midfield, but was encouraged by the step forward taken in the afternoon and hopes to continue that progress into tomorrow.
“The car’s performing, but there are still some things we can improve. It was a bit nervous this morning, better this afternoon, but we need to make a step overnight. I think tomorrow will be very, very close, so everything we can get out of the car will matter. This circuit is so special; you have the people everywhere who are so passionate about F1 – almost crazy in a good way – and the track is fantastic, you have such nice high speed corners one after the other. It’s so enjoyable, you don’t want to come into the pits, but want to stay out on track.”
