Vettel laments lack of rhythm in qualifying

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Sebastian Vettel concluded his evening qualifying session with a fifth place finish, just behind his Ferrari team mate Kimi Raikkonen.

The German had topped the afternoon's FP3 session but admitted to struggle when searching for the proper rhythm in the successive segments of qualifying.

"Overall I'm happy, but we were probably a bit too aggressive which made it difficult to find the rhythm we had this afternoon," Vettel conceded.

"We tried to anticipate the conditions tonight, but we got caught out. Obviously, there is quite a bit of a shift between the afternoon and the evening, which is normal.

"The sun goes down, the track temperature goes down, so everybody tried to do the same thing but I think in this regard we probably went a bit too far."

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Vettel acknowledged however that his car felt good and had no major problems to report.

"The car was much better than yesterday and I think it was a good session. We had the speed to beat Red Bull and in the end we missed out by a little bit, but I think we can definitely fight for the podium.

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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.