Small error costs Vettel pole position in Barcelona

40

An error at the final chicane on his ultimate qualifying effort cost Sebastian Vettel pole position for tomorrow's Spanish Grand Prix reckons the Ferrari driver.

Vettel ended the crucial session trailing poleman Lewis Hamilton by just 0.051 but frustratingly called in on the radio to lament his lap and a costly error.

"I’ve been coming here a long time, so many laps, and still the last chicane is a tricky one for me" Vettel said.

"First Q3 run I wasn’t entirely happy, I knew there was more. The second one was really good until that final chicane, it was really close. Well done to Lewis."

Vettel was happy just to take part in the afternoon session after the Scuderia's mechanics scrambled to change his engine between FP3 and qualifying after the detection of a water leak.

"A big thank you to the team, because we had to change the engine last minute and the car was just about finished, so today is really for the mechanics – also from Kimi’s car that helped out, grazie," he said.

Hamilton beats Vettel to pole position in Spain

"Unbelievable, they did an engine change sub two hours. If you ever see the car stripped, there’s a lot of bits and bobs that needs to be reconnected. It’s a miracle that they got me out.

"It would have been nice to get them the pole, but hopefully we can do well tomorrow."

The German ace expressed his satisfaction with the behavior of his SF70H since proceedings got underway yesterday morning and after his car was fitted with its latest upgardes, however unassuming they may appear to be from the outside.

"Sometimes upgrades are more flashy than others, but the car is good. I felt yesterday we had it in the car.

"Today we could extract it, and there was maybe a tiny bit more. Much better in terms of feel today."

Win the ULTIMATE TRACKDAY with F1i.com!

GALLERY: All the action from Barcelona on Friday

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.