Red Bull driver offers understated assessment of his chances
Last Updated: September 24, 2011 6:28pm
Vettel: Singapore GP not an easy race
Sebastian Vettel merely described himself as "reasonably confident" ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, despite claiming his 11th pole position of the season on Saturday.
For the 11th time in 14 races this year Vettel will start from top spot on the grid for Sunday's race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, the 24-year-old now standing three poles away from Nigel Mansell's record set in 1992.
There were only 16 races that season, compared to 19 this campaign, so the Englishman's mark will always carry distinction even if Vettel betters his outright total.
He could also beome the youngest driver to secure back-to-back world championships this weekend, although the presence of Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber alongside him on the front row means that Vettel might have to wait to earn that particular accolade.
A one-two repeat in F1's only night race would leave Vettel unable to retain the title in Singapore, with his next chance coming in Japan early next month.
For Vettel, this was merely another "little step" en route to the inevitable, as expressed by Webber and Jenson Button, who grabbed third place on the grid at the death from McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
"For all the great work Seb did at the start of the year this is the position we're in," said Webber, who like Button trails Vettel by 117 points with 150 available.
"I know the championship has become pretty boring for that reason, but the racing has been awesome.
"Tomorrow should hopefully be another good one, and I'm planning to go forward if I can at some stage in the race, which is one further position.
"So we've got to keep him honest as long as we can."
Difficult
Echoing Webber's sentiments, Button said: "Even if he doesn't start the next six races it's still going to be pretty difficult for us to beat him.
"But when the lights go out, and you are 100-plus points back (in the drivers' standings) you don't think about the championship.
"Instead you go for the win, which is exactly what I'm going to try and do tomorrow."
Vettel offered an understated assessment of his chances as he said: "It's good to be on the front row, on the clean side of the track for the first time in four years, so I'm looking forward to that.
"This is an exceptional track, one you either like or hate, and the secret is maybe it comes down to a bit of both.
"It's very long, with 23 corners, which is incredible compared to some tracks, and it is fairly low speed which is what you expect of a street circuit.
"It's so difficult to put a lap together, with a lot of thinking going on, and if you operate a car on the limit it's hard to get it 100% every corner.
"That's why the satisfaction you get here is big when you cross the line after a good lap, and then we have to do it for 61 tomorrow.
"The race is two hours, the longest we have, and with the heat and humidity we lose a lot of water, so it's not easy."
Behind the leading trio, Hamilton lines up fourth, the Briton denied a fifth successive front-row start for McLaren after being deposed from second by Webber.
Error
Hamilton, who suffered a puncture in the middle qualifying stint, managed just one flying lap in the top-10 shoot-out as the team ran out of time in refuelling his car, another seemingly basic error.
A disappointed Hamilton said: "They had a fuelling problem and we couldn't get enough fuel in the car, so we didn't have enough time for a second run.
"I'm not in a bad position, but I think we could have got on the front row."
With Red Bull on the front row, McLaren the second, that continues with the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa on the third.
Mercedes pair Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher line up on the fourth row, whilst Force India duo Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta occupy the fifth.
Credit: Sky Sports (www.skysports.com)
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