Sebastian Vettel says free practice this weekend will be extremely important as Formula 1 arrives at a new venue, the Losail International Circuit, for the first Qatar Grand Prix.
The Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team racer arrives in Qatar on the back of missing out on points in the São Paulo Grand Prix last weekend despite running as high as seventh in the early laps.
Vettel has never raced at the Losail circuit before, and he knows there is plenty of learning to do on Friday to get the best out of his AMR21 for the rest of the weekend.
“This weekend will mark the first time that we have raced at the Losail International Circuit, so at this stage, there are a lot of unknowns,” said Vettel.
“Because we have very little to no data, other than our recent telemetry from Mexico and Brazil, it will be incredibly important to have a productive Friday and Saturday before qualifying and the race.”
“It will be crucial to secure a good qualifying performance” – Lance Stroll
Team-mate Lance Stroll failed to finish the São Paulo Grand Prix, with his race in Brazil compromised early after contact with Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda’s Yuki Tsunoda that left him with damage and a loss of downforce.
The Canadian has scored only two points in the past five races, but he is looking to turn his form around this weekend in Qatar, although he is expecting Qualifying to be extremely important with overtaking likely to be difficult on race day.
”Last weekend’s result was a tough one to take on the chin as our race was compromised by factors out of our control,” said Stroll.
“We are all focused now on Qatar, which will be a fast, flowing circuit where overtaking will be quite difficult – so it will be crucial to secure a good qualifying performance on Saturday.”
