Vettel: Still some margin for Ferrari to go faster

Sebastian Vettel was left encouraged by Ferrari’s showing throughout Friday practice for Formula 1’s German Grand Prix.

Vettel topped opening practice ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc in Hockenheim, before the roles were reversed in the afternoon as the Monegasque driver headed another Scuderia 1-2 ahead of chief rival Mercedes.

"I'm pretty happy," Vettel said. "I think it was a better day, a few hiccups here and there to find the rhythm.

"We lost a bit of time as I had a flatspot on the medium tyres in the afternoon but all in all it felt good, the car felt good. I think there’s quite a bit of margin to go faster.

"It was a good day and I think we are quite happy. There is margin to go faster and it’s good to know where it is.

"We’ll see how the conditions are, I think that’s the main thing. We tried to do the job today and do our homework and carry that into tomorrow but it will be different.

"The car is pretty much the same. I guess it’s more conditions and the track and how we go along, so let’s hope we can keep it that way."

The drivers and teams faced the highest temperatures seen so far this season in Germany, with Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas left hoping for cooler conditions and rain amid the German squad's ongoing cooling issues. 

"It’s hard to say because I don’t know how much Mercedes and Red Bull had to compromise for the heat," Vettel replied when asked about how cooler conditions could affect the pecking order. 

"I think it impacts on everyone, you saw that everybody was opening the cooling to the maximum. So I think it would have been nice to have a really, really hot race.

"It’s also fun inside the car and I quite like it when you break into a sweat. I don’t know but I think the forecast says it won’t be like today."