Sebastian Vettel was hit by a software issue according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, which in part explains why he was unable to match team-mate Daniel Ricciardo’s pace.
Whilst the Australian qualified 2nd, Vettel could only manage 13th. Whilst a yellow flag from Kimi Raikkonen’s crash was partly to blame, Horner says it was the software problem that hindered him the most.
“It was unlucky for Seb,” he said. “His engine software meant he was down on power with extremely poor drivability and we need to understand that, as it compromised his qualifying.”
Vettel meanwhile said that Red Bull had made “a big step forward with the car” and was pleased to see how well Ricciardo had done.
“Of course I’m not happy that we didn’t make it to Q3,” he said.
“I think the car is quick, but we struggled this afternoon with drivability which, in these conditions, made it even worse.
“The car seems good and Daniel did a very good job to be on the front row, so congratulations to him. It’s going to be a long race tomorrow and reliability will be the most important thing to make it to the flag, but I think there will be lots of opportunities for us.”
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