Sebastian Vettel reckons Ferrari still has a “good chance” of overhauling Mercedes at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, despite a sub-par qualifying performance.
Ferrari and Mercedes have scrapped at the front of the field this season but Vettel finished only fourth in qualifying, 1.2s behind pole sitter and title rival Lewis Hamilton.
Vettel’s performance came after he completed only limited running in the final practice session after a hydraulic leak, which necessitated an engine change prior to Q1.
“The result is ok, but obviously I am not entirely happy and this qualifying didn’t help,” he said.
“I don’t have excuses, I could have done better. I think I had the rhythm at the end but just didn’t get everything right.
“We were not quick enough, but tomorrow I think we still have a good chance. The car has been fast during the races and that was the case yesterday too, on the long-runs. So, let’s see what happens.
“The start of my qualifying session was a bit slow, then by Q2 I think I had the car under control. But my Q3 was not ideal.
“I had to stop at the end of the pit-lane when the red flag came out and my tyres got cold. Tomorrow, anyway, it could be a different story.”
Vettel will line up alongside Ferrari team-mate Kimi Räikkönen, who finished as the quickest non-Mercedes driver in third spot.
