Russian GP: Where has Ferrari's pace gone?
Vettel beaten by half a second in qualifying; Race underway at 12.10pm on Sunday
Tuesday 4 December 2018 17:38, UK
Sebastian Vettel admits he has been surprised by Ferrari's slump in pace at the Russian GP.
The Ferrari driver qualified over half a second shy of pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas at Sochi - a margin which would have been greater still had Lewis Hamilton not made a mistake on his final lap.
Having held a slight but significant pace advantage through the first half of the season, Ferrari appear to have been out-muscled in the latest stage of their ongoing 'development war' with Mercedes.
"They have brought something to their car which hasn't worked," suggested Sky F1 pundit Paul Di Resta. "The gap is as big as it has been for a long time. This is a track they were expected to dominate on.
"Something has gone wrong. Something they have brought to their car hasn't worked."
Although Hamilton was victorious in Italy and Singapore, Ferrari boasted superior speed at both events. At Sochi, however, they have been a distant second best to Mercedes throughout.
"It's been a tricky one. Why the big gap? It is a surprise," said Vettel.
Mercedes dominate as Bottas takes pole from Hamilton
How to watch the Russian GP on Sky F1
"The car was pretty good, the balance was pretty good, we got everything we could. It's not like there is a big issue with car balance. We reached our full potential today.
"In Singapore we looked more competitive until qualifying. On Friday we didn't get a good feeling. Today felt better but we weren't quick enough."
Nor is there a single element of the Ferrari performance which is costing them dear around a Sochi circuit expected to suit their car.
"It's certainly not a nice surprise," added Vettel. "They have been pretty much faster everywhere, it's spread out across the lap."
Relieved not to have been further punished for his mistake on his final Q3 run, Hamilton also expressed his surprise at Ferrari's backward step.
"I'm not really quite sure what has happened exactly," said Hamilton. "This is usually a good track but they've obviously struggled in certain areas. I'm not quite sure - but we've made some big improvements and we've got our car set-up optimum for here."
The turnaround is also clearly in part down to Mercedes gains as they finally get a complete handle on their 2018 car.
"We can see that on power, Ferrari seems to have a tiny little advantage still, but we seem to have understood the car and tyres a little bit better over the last races," said Toto Wolff.
"Singapore was always an Achilles' heel of ours and we worked hard to comprehend why that was, and we won with our own pace. The same here where we struggled last year and today we were really able to have some decent laps in qualifying."
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