Vettel felt ‘free’ on German GP F1 pole lap 

Sebastian Vettel says he felt “free” on his final qualifying lap that sealed Formula 1 pole position for the German Grand Prix. 

The Ferrari driver turned in an immense final lap in Q3 at Hockenheim to snatch pole position from Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas by a margin of 0.204s. 

It marked the 55th pole of Vettel’s F1 career and was his first at the German Grand Prix venue since 2010. 

“In qualifying the car was a pleasure to drive,” Vettel said. “Some days you can feel already when you go out and you do your first flying lap that you’ve got something in your hands that you can play with. Thats the feeling that I had today. 

“In Q3 I could get quite a bit out of the car and myself and made it work. So I’m really happy with both laps. On the limit and then the adrenaline kicks in and it’s quite a good feeling to get everything right. 

“So I was really, really happy with the car and with the work that we’ve done overnight to try and squeeze a little bit more out of the car. It feels so quick around this track with these cars and it’s really enjoyable.

“I think one of the great experiences that I have said when I drive the car is that I’m not thinking of anything else,” he added. “That can be very stressful but it’s also a great feeling, it makes you feel very free. That’s what I felt today.”

When asked where his latest pole position ranked compared to his others, Vettel replied: “I don’t remember all the laps that I’ve done in my career! I’ve done quite a lot! But I think today is definitely one of the best moments. 

“I think I have done decent laps and bad laps, this is one of the better ones but I’m not a fan of saying ‘This is the best I’ve ever done’. I hope the best I ever do is yet to come.”

Vettel stressed Ferrari needs to remain “sharp and awake” on Sunday, despite knowing chief title rival Lewis Hamilton is set to start from 14th on the grid following his shock qualifying exit due to a hydraulic failure. 

“We are quite confident for tomorrow but there’s a lot of things that can happen that can bite you. So we need to be sharp and awake,” he said. 

“For now I think I will just enjoy the pole and then tomorrow when I wake up I will look forward to the race and try to be there. That’s what counts. 

“We’ll see what the weather does, but one way or the other I believe we have a strong package so we need to make the most of it.”