Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel qualified on the front row for Sunday's Brazilian GP just 0.038s off the time set by poleman Valtteri Bottas.
The German driver put in a good effort but reckons he left a bit on the table in the end in Q3.
"I think I chickened out a little bit on the brakes for the final run into Turn 1 and lost a bit too much time," he said.
"From there, the lap was fine but I knew I had a bit left in the last corner, which I got on my second run, but by then I was already too much behind. It's not that bad, I was happy with my first lap."
With Lewis Hamilton left to chase from behind following his crash in Q1, Vettel feels he may have a shot at a race win given his expected race pace.
"For tomorrow, our long run looks good, in particular against Valtteri, so let's see what happens.
"I think it's quite positive we're a lot closer than we were yesterday. For tomorrow I believe we should have good race car."
Asked how important it is to preserve his second place in the drivers' standings, the four-time world champion insisted he was as motivated as ever to hold his own in the championship.
"A lot, I mean we failed to finish first so want to make sure we finish second. You could argue it's not a big difference but it is.
That's what racing is about so the primary tomorrow is to win, and that should also do well for points or whatever if you look at the battle for second."
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