Sebastian Vettel says he hopes to “cancel out” his German Grand Prix retirement after he led the way during practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Vettel was on course to triumph at his home event but crashed out of the race in damp conditions, while title rival Lewis Hamilton went on to score victory, reclaiming the points lead.
Vettel bounced back from the setback by topping Friday’s second session in Hungary, though held a slender 0.074s gap over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Hungarian Grand Prix: FP1 results | FP2 results | Photo Gallery
“It’s probably good to have a race straight away and focus on the next thing we do,” said Vettel.
“I hope we can cancel it out and make this race count and then forget Hockenheim.
“I think it’s very tight. I think Red Bull looks a bit more competitive here, which you would expect on this type of circuit, and then I think it is very close between us and Mercedes.”
Vettel was nonetheless encouraged by his and Ferrari’s pace at the Hungaroring, describing his day as “one of the better Fridays” of recent times.
“Qualifying and the start are very important here,” he said.
“Overtaking is very difficult, so whoever is ahead after the first couple of corners will be crucial but to get there there are a lot of things to do and a lot of work ahead.
“I was pretty happy in the afternoon and happier than in the morning.
“I think the car is pretty good over one lap but it’s been one of the better Fridays because they have been up and down for us recently. It’s been quite solid.”
Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen placed fourth, behind Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.
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