Ferrari has confirmed that a problem relating to the engine pneumatic system on Sebastian Vettel’s car was behind his absence from Q3 in Austria.
Vettel had been in the mix for top spot but Ferrari detected a problem following the conclusion of Q2 and the German driver did not re-appear.
He therefore finished in 10th position but will move up to ninth place on the grid as a result of Kevin Magnussen’s gearbox penalty.
“Obviously the car was broken, so we couldn’t fire it up and go, so we lost parts of Q2 and then Q3 completely,” said Vettel, whose Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc took pole.
“We fairly quickly made the decision to change, but it’s not so easy to take the bodywork off and get there. The guys did everything they could but we couldn’t do it in time.
“Obviously it’s frustrating but there’s nothing you can do but it’s nobody’s fault.
“For sure we need to understand what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again but as I said, it’s nobody’s fault.
“We tried everything to fix it. I knew that if we fixed it, it would only be one run so I was trying to focus solely on that but it didn’t happen.
“At least, as much as a pain it is, it’s also good to see that the other car came through and got the pole. I’m happy for the team but obviously not happy for my side. But we’ll have a good race tomorrow.”
